Salt Lake City Democratic Utah House Rep. Sandra Hollins led efforts to make Juneteenth a state holiday in 2022.
Juneteenth, which recognizes the end of slavery in the United States, became a federal holiday in 2021.
On June 19, 1865, Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and across Texas almost three years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Hollins is now working to change her bill, which mandated the state celebrate Juneteenth on the Monday closest to June 19. She introduced amendments earlier this year so the holiday would match federal policy. The date conflict became more noticeable last year when the Utah Legislature held a special session on June 19.
“I’ve had different government entities, local entities and businesses and families who came back and said to me, ‘This is problematic,’” Hollins said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Thursday. “Especially families, because I’ve had people reach out and say, ‘My husband or wife has this day off, and I have this day off, and I can’t celebrate [Juneteenth] with my family.’”
Her attempt to change the holiday was unsuccessful in the 2025 General Session. She said she plans to try again in 2026.
“Unfortunately, it did not make it out of Senate committee because there were senators who wanted to keep it the same, much to the dismay of a lot of people,” Hollins said. “My plans are to open a bill file again and maybe explain a little bit more the impact – the business impact, the impact that it is having on the community – and the need to bring it back in line with the federal holiday.”
Hollins said the Juneteenth holiday offers Americans the opportunity to reflect on the country’s past and look towards the future.
“The United States has a controversial history, and it’s not a pretty history, but it’s not one to be ignored,” she said. “This is a time for us to come together, to celebrate, to look at our past, but to also celebrate where we are and where we’re going as a community.”
The northwest Salt Lake City lawmaker played a major role in removing slavery provisions from the Utah Constitution; 80% of voters approved the constitutional amendment in 2020.
