Some offices to close to recognize Juneteenth holiday

There will be some closures Monday to remember Juneteenth.

The day is remembered for June 19, 1865 when slaves in Texas got the word they were free, about two years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Roosevelt County offices will be closed Monday.

In Portales, City Manager Sarah Austin said the city will not close for this Juneteenth, which for government offices would be June 20 but in all likelihood will close for the holiday next year. She blamed oversight for failing to note the holiday this year.

The NM Municipal League is urging state cities to recognize Juneteenth, she said.

Austin said the yearly calendars will be drawn up in December and are usually approved in January.

She said the holiday is important to her.

“It means freedom,” she said.

Clovis Community College will be closed Monday.

Nicolle Holcomb, director of commmunications and marketing, said the campus is closing for Juneteenth celebration.

The CCC board approved this last October. Juneteenth is a federal holiday, and CCC recognizes this federal holiday.

Eastern New Mexico University will be open Monday.