CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Several state lawmakers say it’s past time to make Juneteenth an official state holiday.

House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle and Del. Hollis Lewis, both African American, led a news conference Thursday at the capitol after Gov. Patrick Morrisey decided against proclaiming the day a state holiday like former governor, now U.S. Senator, Jim Justice did for the past few years. State offices were open Thursday.

Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, became a federal holiday in 2021.

Morrisey did issue a proclamation about the day itself.

“West Virginia has a proud founding as a free state during the Civil War and was built upon the principles of freedom and liberty,” Morrisey said. “Juneteenth is an important day in our nation’s history and serves as a reminder that all of us should be treated equally under the eyes of God and the law.”

A spokesman for Morrisey said a couple of weeks ago the day would not be a holiday, “due to the continued fiscal challenges facing West Virginia, state government will not be sponsoring any formal activities.”

Lewis, D-Kanawha, said it’s time to change state code to make Juneteenth an official holiday, not waiting on a proclamation. He said he plans on reintroducing a bill to do just that.

“Reintroducing that bill that I introduced in 2024 again in 2026,” Lewis said.

He said several West Virginians played a key role in ending slavery.

“Booker T. Washington, Martin R. Delany and many, many more; these are West Virginians who fought for West Virginia and fought for freedom not only in the United States but all around the world,” Lewis said.

Hornbuckle said there are some that don’t like Juneteenth being made a federal holiday. He said there are efforts to deemphasize it.

“It’s going across the country to have things the same way,” Hornbuckle said. “We’re going to fight back. Respectfully, it is wrong”

He looked around the room at Wednesday’s news conference and noted the unity.

“We’re not going to stand for it and that’s why everyone is in here to do; red, yellow, black and white,” he said. “We’re going to stand tall and we’re going to stand together.”

County courthouses across the state were closed Thursday because it was a federal holiday. It’s guidance the counties received from state Attorney General J.B. McCuskey.

“So, if there is a federal holiday, it is our opinion that the courtrooms themselves be closed and we are working closely with the Supreme Court as they issue guidance on what that means and how it should be carried out in courtrooms across the state,” McCuskey said earlier this week.

Friday is West Virginia Day, a day off for 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.

The West Virginia University Board of Governors (BOG) has had a tough stretch lately. It shows. Few observers would describe the group as a cohesive team.

The first public crack appeared in February, when the board voted 15-2 to name “Candidate A” as its choice to succeed E. Gordon Gee. That candidate, now publicly known as Dr. Michael Benson, failed to win unanimous support. Bray Cary and Steve Ruby voted no.

Unanimity isn’t required – and often isn’t healthy – but the division only offered a hint of what was coming.

By May 23, Bray Cary openly challenged the integrity of the search process, claiming that Benson’s selection was effectively made behind closed doors.

“Our chairman, Rick Pill, testified before a legislative committee in March that no votes were taken and no decisions were made during the executive sessions of the presidential search,” Cary said. “That statement wasn’t true based on how we selected the president in February.”

That same afternoon, Cary refused to participate in executive session. His fellow board members responded swiftly and forcefully.

“The proper process was followed in the hiring of the 27th president of West Virginia University,” said a joint statement from Chair Rick Pill, Vice Chair Patrice Harris, and Secretary Bob Reynolds. “Claims otherwise are false, inflammatory, and only serve to detract from the important groundwork being laid for the future of the state’s flagship university.

“The comments you reference are from a disgruntled BOG member who, candidly, had backed another candidate.”

That candidate? House Speaker Roger Hanshaw.

MetroNews’ Brad McElhinny reported regarding the 15-2 presidential vote, “discussions in an earlier closed session revealed a much closer split, with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw getting significant support. Sources indicated last week’s vote for BOG chairman reflected that.”

Later, fresh allegations surfaced – this time directed at Cary – suggesting a possible failure to disclose a conflict of interest presumably with Hanshaw.

“If a member of the [search] committee had a current or prior business relationship with a prospect or candidate and did not proactively disclose it, that would be troubling and should be reviewed,” said Patrice Harris, co-founder and CEO of eMed.

The latest development: last week’s election of Rusty Hutson, Co-Founder and CEO of Diversified Energy, as the new Board chair by a vote of 9-6.

Looking ahead, three board members are nearing the end of their terms; Cary, Pill and Alan Larrick. Filling those seats – by reappointment or new appointment – falls to Governor Patrick Morrisey.

From the outside, WVU’s Board is not what management guru Peter Drucker once described as a “tennis doubles team” – an ideal in which each member adjusts to the strengths and weaknesses of their partner and adapts to the evolving game. In Drucker’s 1990s Wall Street Journal piece, he argued such teams fuel real innovation. The WVU BOG is far from that model.

But the stakes couldn’t be higher. The landscape of college athletics is shifting dramatically. Enrollment is declining. Budget pressures are mounting. The university must adapt or risk falling further behind.

Fair or not, Hutson now shoulders responsibility for reshaping the institution’s governing board or making it work. Dr. Benson, while accomplished, is new to WVU. His success hinges on the Board’s willingness to support his vision. That, in turn, depends on Hutson’s ability to unify the board and move past internal squabbles.

Hutson has the credentials. Leading a large public company to success requires decisiveness, vision, and grit. But WVU’s governance comes with a twist: Hutson doesn’t control all the variables. He can’t change the board composition if a member crosses the line of constructive contrarian to destructive detractor.

That’s where Benson’s voice must emerge soon and strong. Like the CEO of a publicly traded firm, he must have the discretion to help shape the board as he enters. That includes working with Hutson and Governor Morrisey to fill or re-appoint upcoming vacancies with members committed to the institution’s future – not tied to old feuds – and the freedom, with the Governor’s backing, to make any board changes he deems necessary, in consultation with Hutson.

Absent the change of buy in or restructuring – probably both – the dysfunction will likely persist. And if that happens, West Virginia University – our flagship, our pride – will pay the price.

That cannot be allowed. Not now. Not ever.

Editor’s Note: Meadows is a WVU graduate.

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