Huntington designates Juneteenth as legal holiday

Huntington is among the first cities in the country to officially designate Juneteenth as a legal holiday.

The city made that announcement Wednesday evening after Huntington City Council unanimously adopted a resolution designating Juneteenth (June 19) as a legal holiday.

Mayor Steve Williams immediately signed the act into law.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy were freed.