Here's what will be closed or open for Juneteenth National Independence Day
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas - more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. It's the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which is the human resources office for the federal government, tweeted Thursday that most federal employees will observe the new holiday - Juneteenth National Independence Day - on Friday since June 19 falls on a Saturday this year.
So does this mean that the post office and banks are closed June 18?
This year, it seems that the post office and banks will be open for business. The Postal Service will be operating on June 18 and 19, 2021 on a normal schedule and will be open according to a statement on the USPS website. It should be noted that the financial markets will be open Friday, but will be closed in recognition of the holiday starting in 2022.
As far as banks, a representative from JPMorgan Chase said it will be giving employees an extra floating holiday this year and plans to move Juneteenth into their "regular holiday schedule" in 2022. Logix Federal Credit Union says they are open for regular business hours. ABC7 reached out to other local and national banks, but did not hear back from them by the evening of June 17. We recommend calling your local bank before heading over to make sure they are open.
RELATED | How people came to celebrate Juneteenth in the U.S.
