Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam proposed declaring Juneteenth a paid state holiday.
The Democrat made the announcement Tuesday, standing alongside Pharrell Williams, a Virginia native.
“This is what listening looks like,” Williams said after Northam said the two spoke about “healing and unity” over the weekend.
“This is our chance to lead, to truly embrace the importance of Juneteenth and to treat it as a celebration of freedom that black people truly deserve,” Williams said.
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and falls on June 19.
Tune in now—I’m giving an update on #COVID19 in Virginia and making an important announcement: https://t.co/Xz66dtTbA5
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) June 16, 2020
State executive-branch employees will be the only people eligible to participate in the holiday. The governor plans to propose legislation that would include all Virginia residents in the holiday in future years.
The move comes more than three weeks after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis police custody, inspiring widespread protests calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism.
Earlier this month, Northam announced his executive decision to remove the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy.
