Is Juneteenth today or tomorrow? In New Jersey, it’s both.
Today, June 19, is recognized as a federal holiday — thanks to a bill signed by President Joe Biden in the summer of 2021.
That created a problem.
The previous year, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill declaring the state would be closed on the third Friday in June to honor Juneteenth. That means this year the state will recognize June 20 as Juneteenth.
The confusion has created a quandary for companies. One with no good answer.
It appears to break down this way. Companies with offices inside and outside of the state, generally are following the federal holiday of June 19. Companies based solely in New Jersey are tending to mark the occasion on Friday.
An unofficial BINJE poll, conducted on LinkedIn, showed Thursday is the more likely day for Juneteenth to be recognized.
Here’s the poll.
Are you recognizing Juneteenth on:
- Thursday: 61%
- Friday: 24%
- Both days: 10%
- Neither day: 5%
BINJE will mark the occasion on Friday.
But what do we know?
Looking for more insight, BINJE contacted John Harmon, head of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, for his thoughts.
Harmon said Friday should be the day.
“I think the state got it right,” he said. “I like the third Friday of every June. That way any events being held to mark the occasion can occur over a three-day period.”
That’s as good an answer as any other — but it still won’t solve the problem of whether businesses should mark the day on Thursday or Friday.
We’ll leave that to you.
And we’ll leave you with this: Next year, it won’t be an issue – June 19 falls on the third Friday in June.
