Colfax adopts Juneteenth

COLFAX — The city is establishing a new holiday — Juneteenth.

During the Monday, May 2 City Council meeting, members discussed and approved establishing Juneteenth as a legal holiday in the city.

The holiday is set for June 19.

As a result, City Hall and other offices will be closed in observance of the holiday.

Last year, the state and federal governments established the formal holiday.

But the first Juneteenth was June 19, 1866 — the first anniversary of the day black Americans in Texas learned they were free under the Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued two years prior.