Thursday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear made Juneteenth a holiday for people who work in the state executive office. He also made it illegal to discriminate based on hairstyles when hiring people or working for the state.
The Democratic governor’s different executive orders were his latest attempt to reach out to Black Kentuckians, but they also showed the limits of that effort.
People see Beshear as a rising Democratic star. She did these things after the state’s Republican-controlled assembly failed to make Juneteenth a statewide holiday and make it illegal to treat people differently because of their hairstyles.
After years of doing nothing, Beshear said, “I can no longer wait for others to do what is right.” Black politicians were with him at the state Capitol in Frankfort as he signed the orders.
On June 19, 1865, slaves in Galveston, Texas, found out they were free. This happened two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was released during the Civil War. This day is celebrated on Juneteenth. Black Americans have celebrated Juneteenth for many years. It became a government holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed a bill making it so.
One Beshear order says that Juneteenth will be a state executive branch holiday starting this year. There will be no work in any executive branch buildings.
As Beshear put it, Juneteenth is both a celebration of progress and a “strong reminder of our responsibility as Americans and the work that still needs to be done.”
He told them, “Today is a big day in American history.” “One where we all stand together to recognize our past and the worst wrong done to our country.” It is a day to celebrate the bravery and strength of African Americans and the things they have done for our country and still do.
This year, the top Democrat in the Kentucky Senate, Sen. Gerald Neal, proposed a bill to make Juneteenth a holiday. Before the session finished last month, it didn’t get any further. Thursday, Neal, who is black, made it clear that he will try again in 2025.
The other order prohibits discrimination based on “traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to natural hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks, and twists.” This gives people more protection when they apply for jobs or are hired by the state.
Gov. Bevin said that the state needs protections because it has a “diverse workforce full of talented, hardworking Kentuckians from all different backgrounds.” “That’s what makes us unique.”
During the last few parliamentary sessions, bills to stop discrimination at work and school based on hairstyles failed, according to the governor’s office.
A graduate of the Governor’s Minority Management Trainee Program, Melinda Wofford thanked the governor for “embracing the individuality represented in our great commonwealth.” Wofford is an assistant director at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Wofford said, “Recognizing that different cultures are strong is what makes the world a peaceful place where everyone can reach their full potential without worrying about having to take off their crown.”
To mark the 60th anniversary of a historic civil rights gathering in the state’s capital city that included Martin Luther King Jr., Beshear marched with other Kentuckians in March. In 1964, 10,000 people joined the March on Frankfort to call for laws to end discrimination and segregation in the Bluegrass State. They followed in the footsteps of the civil rights leader.
As governor and as state attorney general, Beshear has had Black executives in his inner group. He has pointed out that his administration has helped the state’s historically black colleges and universities and worked to improve health care and job opportunities in minority areas.
Beshear also led the winning effort to take down a statue of Kentucky-born Confederate President Jefferson Davis from the state Capitol Rotunda.
