Cinnaminson Offices Closing Early Friday To Recognize Juneteenth

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Cinnaminson’s municipal offices will close at 12:30 p.m. on Friday in observance of Juneteenth, township officials announced Friday morning.

The announcement comes one day after President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Read more here: Biden Signs Bill Making Juneteenth A National Holiday

Juneteenth falls on Saturday this year, so both the township and the county announced that their offices would be closed in observance of the holiday.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.

It's the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. In September, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation designating the third Friday in June a state and public holiday.

“We join the call for all Americans to be active in creating a more just society,” township officials said in their announcement. “We encourage residents to reflect and contemplate on how we all can do our part to eliminate racism and discrimination in our communities. We acknowledge the steps which have been taken toward racial equality, but also recognize the extensive work yet to be done. We champion civil rights and advocate against social injustice by becoming better allies. Juneteenth may only be one day, but together we can carry the spirit of Juneteenth year-round to spur us to action for sustainable change.”

The Burlington County Board of Commissioners had announced Thursday night that all county offices would be closed Friday in recognition of Juneteenth and the President of the United States marking it as a federal holiday.

“We’re proud of Burlington County’s history as one of the birthplaces of the anti-slavery movement, and we’re pleased to join with the federal government and other jurisdictions across the country in recognizing this important holiday,” Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson said. “Juneteenth not only reminds us how long it took before slavery finally ended in the United States, but also that the fight for equality is still unfinished, and we have more to do to ensure all people are truly free.”

In addition to closing county offices, the Board of Commissioners organized a day of service on Friday morning at the Dr. James Still Historic Office and Education Center in Medford. It marks the first time the county organized a service project in honor of Juneteenth and the many contributions of Black Americans.

Still was born in 1812 in Shamong and was known as the “Black Doctor of the Pines” because of his successful medical practice featuring natural herbal remedies. He treated hundreds of patients, curing some, it was said that licensed doctors could not heal.

See related: Juneteenth: 5 Things To Know About The Newest Federal Holiday