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Governor's Diversity Council says N.H. Should Recognize 'Juneteenth' Holiday

Allegra Boverman for NHPR

The governor's advisory council on diversity and inclusion says the state ought to recognize Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery. As NHPR's Josh Rogers reports, that's one of the few concrete recommendations from the council's preliminary report. 

Governor Chris Sununu created the commission and a new civil rights unit at the Attorney General's office  to "combat discrimination and advance the ends of diversity and inclusion."
 

They were launched in the wake of racially charged incidents, including the alleged attempted hanging of a biracial boy in Claremont. 

 

The commission's work so far has consisted of four meetings and three listening sessions.

 

One preliminary takeaway is that New Hampshire lags behind other states in recognizing what the report calls the full history and the milestone events that define all communities across the state.

 

To that end, the report says New Hampshire ought to join the 44 other states that recognize Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the day slavery was abolished in the state of Texas.

 

The commission plans to complete its work next winter. In the meantime, it will hold more listening sessions and weigh the possibility of suggesting revisions to the states current anti-discrimination laws.   

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