CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Most of the Juneteenth festivities in the Capital City are moved to Friday this year after Governor Patrick Morrisey said he would not be giving state employees the day off on the recently-designated federal and state holiday.

Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating a major milestone toward the end of slavery in the United States, falls on Thursday, June 19th this year.

Ray Whiting

A Juneteenth organizer in Charleston, Ray Whiting said they wanted people to really get a chance to enjoy the event without the concern of having to work the next day.

“We want people, families, kids, everybody, to celebrate with us about Juneteenth,” Whiting said on 580 Live Monday. “It is very sacred and it’s very special.”

He said he was disappointed in finding out that the governor would not be giving state workers the day off on Thursday and he wishes he would rethink the move.

Regardless, Whiting said the celebrations will continue.

He said there will be a fire side chat with award-winning journalist, author, and radio and TV host Roland Martin at the small theater in the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

However, Whiting said the main events will take place on Friday with the annual Juneteenth parade starting at 11:30 a.m. from the MLK Jr. Center down to City Center Slack Plaza. He said this will be followed by a festival at Slack Plaza featuring live music, local acts, poetry readings and more until 4 p.m.

Whiting said Juneteenth is an important educational day as not everyone is aware of it or the impact it has left behind.

He said the enslavement of African Americans didn’t move closer to officially ending until June 19, 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier.

“Between 1863 and 1865, slavery was still in effect, however, our Freedom Day in West Virginia was February 3, 1865, again, slavery was still going on until June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas,” he said.

This event came six months prior to the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in December 1865, which marked the complete end to slavery.

Whiting said as parts of the country are still unaware of the magnitude of that event even to this day, it’s crucial now more than ever Juneteenth is recognized so education on the subject can continue to expand.

“We want folks to know what took place,” he said. “We’re not trying to guilt or shame anybody, but just let the records be known that this took place.”

Whiting said he believes it still comes down to a division between black and white education in the United States, posing the inquiry that, if we can learn white history, why can’t we learn about black history?

He said the banning of certain books as well as the doing away with Critical Race Theory and now Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have further lengthened that divide, and it’s something that everyone needs to have a conversation about.

“We need to talk about this, because, it’s not what you think,” Whiting said. “People are putting up these scare tactics about DEI or CRT, and again, it’s not like a revolt or anything, we just want people to come together and be treated equally.”

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 before becoming an official state holiday in West Virginia in 2024 when former Governor Jim Justice issued a proclamation declaring it a state holiday and granting state employees the day off.