Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday signed House Bill 165 into law, officially designating Juneteenth as a recognized state holiday in Alabama.
The new law, approved by both chambers of the Alabama Legislature, adds June 19 to the state’s official holiday calendar. State offices will now close annually in observance of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
“Since President Trump observed Juneteenth in June of 2020, we have proclaimed it each year, and I am pleased the Legislature has made it an official state holiday,” Ivey said in a statement following the bill’s signing.
The legislation was sponsored by Senator Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) and Representative Rick Rehm (R-Dothan), receiving bipartisan support in both the Alabama House and Senate.
Although Governor Ivey has issued annual proclamations recognizing Juneteenth in previous years, the date had not been granted full legal holiday status until now.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865—the day when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The day is widely regarded as the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
The federal government declared Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021, solidifying its status as a significant date in American history.
With the passage of House Bill 165, Alabama joins a growing list of states that officially observe Juneteenth as a public holiday.
