KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, city employees now have a new paid holiday – Juneteenth.
The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council voted Tuesday to add Juneteenth as a paid holiday in efforts to encourage "city employees to participate in a day of service to celebrate the day."
Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19 every year, honors the official ending of slavery in the United States.
According to History.com, on June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Gavelston, Texas, in efforts to ensure all enslaved people were freed.
