Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has officially made Juneteenth a state holiday and enacted the CROWN Act.
According to Essence, Beshear signed an executive order last week establishing Juneteenth as an official executive branch holiday. The governor also enacted the CROWN Act, establishing protections against discrimination based on hair.
“I’ve decided I can no longer wait for others to do what is right,” Beshear said in a statement. “We must look at it straight on and not hide from our own history, even the parts that are painful. Instead, we recognize it, attempt to learn from it, and work to repair the lasting damage and heal our nation’s wounds so we can make progress for a better tomorrow.”
Beshear's executive order comes after President Joe Biden signed legislation in 2021 establishing Juneteenth, when enslaved people in Texas learned they were freed on June 19, 1865, as a federal holiday. Kentucky joins at least 28 other states and Washington D.C. that have officially recognized Juneteenth as a holiday.
By enacting the CROWN Act, Beshear also prohibited discrimination based on natural hair texture and protective hairstyles for state government employees and job applicants.
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