• Clerk Guthrie bringing up the proposal for Juneteenth

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - On April 26th, the Township Board discussed a proposal to enact the Juneteenth holiday in Meridan Township.

Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday in the United States that celebrities the emancipation of enslaved African Americans on June 19th. Though 2021 is the first time Juneteenth was celebrated as a federal holiday, the first instance of Juneteenth celebrations in the US date back to 1866th. The holiday also became a Michigan state holiday this year.

Having Juneteeth as a paid holiday was an issue for the budget since it wasn't accounted for in this year's budget. The Board plans on making it an official holiday in 2023 when the paid holiday can be properly accounted for in the budget.