West Virginia

Gov. Morrisey's refusal to recognize Juneteenth confuses W.Va. state workers

Published

1 year ago

June 18, 2025

Gov. Morrisey's refusal to recognize Juneteenth confuses W.Va. state workers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced he will not recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday, causing some confusion for state employees.

“State workers have to report to work, but county buildings where many state workers do work are closed,” Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango said.. “I think a lot of them are going to work remotely or if they don’t want to work remotely, they take PTO. It’s an unusual situation.”

Salango said it’s required that county employees have the day off, but Morrisey is allowed to make a decision regarding an observance of the holiday.

“Each administration is different. They can recognize whatever holidays they want to recognize,” Salango said. “Certainly, it’s within Gov. Morissey’s prerogative and his discretion to do that.”

Not everyone is happy with the governor’s decision. Rev. Matthew J. Watts said Juneteenth holds importance to many West Virginians.

“Juneteenth becomes a way to really educate people really about the impact of slavery in West Virginia and the fact that we were a slaveholding state,” Watts said.

West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863, but not because it were against slavery. Watts said there’s artifacts dating back to that period right in the capital city.

“Slaves in coal mines, slaves in salt mines right up at Belle and Rand West Virginia,” he said. “Slaves worked in steel mills to some degree. Slave labor was critically important.”

Watts hopes West Virginians can take the day to educate themselves on the state’s history.

“I was never taught that slavery existed in West Virginia,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we were told West Virginia succeeded from Virginia over the slave issue and that’s what I believed until I was well into my adulthood.”

Watts is joining Delegates Sean Hornbuckle and Hollis Lewis Thursday for a Juneteenth celebration at the Capitol at 10:30 am.

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Related Topics:confusion education Featured holiday juneteenth morrisey slavery state workers west virginia

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West Virginia

Stories of the Week: June 14 through June 20

Published

35 minutes ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

Stories of the Week: June 14 through June 20

There are early Dyson deals for Prime Day Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner — the annual four-day sales event is happening June 23-26 this year. In the past, it’s been a great time to score substantial discounts on Dyson products, from …

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West Virginia

Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews

Published

11 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va – Charleston is celebrating Juneteenth with its annual parade, followed by a celebration in Slack Plaza featuring live entertainment, food, educational exhibits, and more.

The parade stepped off from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center at 11:30 on Friday with a long line of organizations participating and several community members recognized as “Mr. and Miss Juneteenth.” Smiles dotted the procession as organizers watched a community come together.

“It’s just a wonderful thing when we can bring the community together to celebrate freedom, and here in West Virginia, we’ve had some challenges because they’ve said that Juneteenth is not a state holiday, but our people are still celebrating,” parade chairperson Karen Williams said.

The parade marked the start of an entire day recognizing the history of Juneteenth, the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people when the Union Army arrived at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. With the last stronghold of slavery in the Confederate States eradicated that day, June 19 came to be celebrated as a second independence day, and President Joe Biden established it as a national holiday in 2021.

In West Virginia, former Gov. Jim Justice was the first to declare a state holiday and did so in each of his last four years in office. Gov. Patrick Morrisey recognized Juneteenth with a proclamation on Friday but has not declared a state holiday in 2025 or 2026.

“Representation really matters, so seeing Black queens and Black kings roaming the streets of Charleston is a beautiful thing, and it’s a needed thing. I think there’s a lot more people that aren’t going to celebrate Juneteenth than people that are, so I think it’s really important that we continue to celebrate this holiday and show why it’s important,” Miss Juneteenth Adult Keyarna Frederick said.

Different groups from around the Kanawha Valley came out to participate from businesses and youth organizations to political committees and arts collectives. Williams believes that shows that Juneteenth is a day for the entire community to celebrate.

“Appalachian people have always grown up and lived together, and what we want—we want people to continue that. We want people to continue to be together. We’re not saying this is a Black event or a white event. We welcome all people to come and participate,” she said.

The parade route echoed her sentiment as nearly everyone who joined the parade shared handshakes, high-fives, and hugs. That spirit of togetherness spoke to the day’s honorees as well.

“It’s definitely something that we should all be celebrating. It’s for all of us, not just for a certain color or a certain kind. It’s for all of us, so I believe everyone should be celebrating this day,” Mr. Juneteenth Adult Edward Frederick said.

“This is my first time in the parade. It’s so beautiful. It’s so amazing to see different organizations a part of the parade, seeing how much muscle has went into even doing something like this, so I think it’s a beautiful thing for Charleston,” Keyarna Frederick added.

From the parade to the activities in Slack Plaza, the day’s organizers sought to create an environment to celebrate Juneteenth with a spirit of unity. Williams hopes that anyone that joined or watched felt that along the way.

“I want them to see that we are Almost Heaven, West Virginia; that we are celebrating freedom; and that we are a community that embraces one another,” she said.

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