The Huntington Town Board recently established Juneteenth as an official Town holiday to celebrate the fulfillment of President Abraham Lincoln's order to end slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Juneteenth is a holiday to be celebrated by all Americans as it is the moment in history all Americans became free,” said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, who sponsored the resolution creating the holiday. “It’s important to recognize the emancipation of our citizens who were enslaved, reflect upon their sacrifices and contributions, and recognize the significant progress we’ve made as a country in the century and a half since that time.”