KENTUCKY — Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The holiday is recognized on June 19 each year and was first celebrated in Galveston, Texas, where on June 19, 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved people were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

Here in Kentucky, Juneteenth is not celebrated statewide as an official holiday, but several lawmakers in the General Assembly have filed various bills in the state legislature to change that.

During this In Focus Kentucky segment, State Senator and Minority Floor Leader. Gerald Neal (D-Jefferson County) joins the program to share details of his previously filed Senate Bill 270, which did not move during the 2023 legislative session. If passed into law, it would have made June 19, also known as "Juneteenth National Freedom Day," a state holiday for state employees.

"Sometimes you go into the legislature, you think something won't move and it's a homerun, sometimes you go in and thank it's a no brainer, and then it's dies. What I've learned is that you got to be positive, you got to be persistent and understand that most processes are incremental, and you got to be strategic because not everybody's on the same page," said State Sen. Neal.

You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.