The City Council agreed Wednesday to recognize June 19th — known as Juneteenth — to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States, but stopped short of declaring it an official city holiday.
Last fall, aldermen Maria Hadden (49th) and David Moore (17th) introduced an ordinance that would declare Juneteenth an official paid city holiday.
The ordinance didn’t stand much of a chance at a time when cash-strapped Chicago has been roundly criticized over the years for granting city employees far more paid holidays than their counterparts in private industry.
But the death on Memorial Day of George Floyd at the hands of now- former Minneapolis police officers — and the anger, protests, rioting and violence that have followed — has turned the political tide.
African-Americans have borne the brunt of coronavirus cases and deaths, exacerbating a nine-year gap in life expectancy between Black and white Chicagoans.
Long-neglected South and West Side neighborhoods were also ravaged by looters and arsonists after the downtown area was sealed off Saturday night. That has deprived some neighborhoods of the groceries and pharmacies they tried so long and hard to attract.
On Wednesday, the City Council approved a non-binding resolution that could lay the groundwork for declaring June 19 an official city holiday.
It states: “Be it resolved that the city of Chicago recognizes the value, sacrifice and contributions of the African-American Community has made to this city and will commit to publicly and widely recognizing the great significance of June 19th every year.”
The resolution goes on to designate June 19 of each year as a day of observance “to reflect on the suffering endured by early African Americans, promote public awareness and celebrate African-American freedom and achievement.”
Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) delivered the most impassioned in a parade of speeches. She spoke for eight minutes and 46 seconds — which is how long that police officer had his knee on George Floyd’s neck.
“I am angry and I don’t apologize for that because I have been discriminated against my whole life,” including when she was “interviewing for a law firm as an associate where I was asked whether I type,” Hairston said.
“And we’re gonna fight. And I encourage the protesters to continue. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Black lives matter. Black lives matter.”
Hairston said it’s “time for this City Council to wake up and stop being dismissive.” She called out Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st), without mentioning him by name, for defending the 13 officers accused of relaxing in the office of U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush while looting went on all around them; Napolitano had done a television interview surrounded by boxes of popcorn; the officers had popped Rush’s popcorn in the office microwave, the congressman said.
“Fight is in my blood. I am a proud direct descendant of Frederick Douglas,” she said.
“Stop sweeping under the rug people who are advancing progressive legislation. Stop letting things linger in committee that will ... help take us to the next level. We will never get there unless we look at things differently. ... I need everybody to open up their eyes and to see what role they play in continuing to be biased against Black people and the color of our skin.”
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, added, “To get some things we have never had, we need to do some things we have never done. ... Let’s look at this as a starting point.”
