Juneteenth in American Samoa
Juneteenth falls on June 19 and is observed in American Samoa through annual holiday memoranda from the Governor’s Office. Territorial law allows the governor to establish additional government employee holidays, while a separate federal law makes Juneteenth a federal holiday.[1][2][3][5]
Status and date
American Samoa’s public holiday statute does not list Juneteenth among its standing holidays. A government regulation says other holidays may be established by gubernatorial proclamation, and the Governor’s Office memorandum archive records Juneteenth holiday notices across multiple years. This makes Juneteenth an officially observed holiday in the territory, though its local basis differs from the holidays listed permanently in statute.[1][2][3]
The holiday is June 19. For American Samoa government employees whose workweek is Monday through Friday, the regulation provides that a Saturday holiday is observed on the preceding Friday and a Sunday holiday on the following Monday. Employees with other schedules follow separate rules based on their workdays.[2][5]
Meaning and history
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, informing people there that enslaved people were free. The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued more than two years earlier; slavery was abolished nationwide later, through ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.[4]
The date became a federal legal public holiday in 2021. In American Samoa, the Governor’s Office has issued holiday memoranda under the name Juneteenth Independence Day, linking the territory’s official observance to the wider U.S. commemoration.[3][5]
Observance and local services
Specific public programmes may vary; check notices from the Governor’s Office or local authorities for confirmed events.[3]
The holiday status does not establish that every employer or service closes. The local regulations address government employee holidays, and federal rules cover eligible federal employees; check opening hours and service timetables directly before making plans.[2][5]
Juneteenth in American Samoa: FAQs
When is Juneteenth?
Is Juneteenth a public holiday in American Samoa?
Do people in American Samoa get the day off?
Sources and references
Sources used for Juneteenth in American Samoa:
- 1.0501 Public holidays.- American Samoa Bar Association
- 4.2403 Holidays-Designated-Proclamation.- American Samoa Bar Association
- GENERAL MEMORANDUMS- American Samoa Government, Office of the Governor
- General Order No. 3, June 19, 1865- National Archives Museum
- Juneteenth National Independence Day Act- U.S. Government Publishing Office