Berks officials declare Juneteenth a county holiday
Dec. 21—Berks County will officially recognize Juneteenth, the cultural holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the United States.
At a meeting Thursday, the county commissioners unanimously approved designating June 19 as an employee-paid holiday starting in 2024. The designation aligns with the recent federal and state recognition of the holiday.
"To the extent possible we try to match the state since a lot of our departments here interact on a daily basis with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach said.
Juneteenth commemorates the freedom of slaves in the former Confederate states following the conclusion of the Civil War.
In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the slaves in the Confederate states freed. But word of the proclamation was slow to reach people around the country.
On June 19, 1865, later called Juneteenth, an estimated 250,000 slaves in Texas finally received official notification of their freedom.
The commissioners first announced this summer that they were considering declaring Juneteenth an official county holiday. They directed county solicitor Christine Sadler and the human resources department to take the necessary steps toward implementing the holiday into the county calendar beginning in 2024.
Outgoing commissioner
Also at the meeting, Commissioner Lucine Sihelnik bid farewell to her post.
The former Reading City Council member and local small-business owner was sworn in as a commissioner in February.
Sihelnik was selected by a panel of judges to fill a vacancy on the three-member board of commissioners when Kevin Barnhardt stepped down to accept the job as the county's new chief operations officer. She was picked from a pool of 22 applicants to be the lone Democrat on the board.
The Reading resident's time in office was short. Sihelnik served only 10 months, vowing not to run in this year's election to take over the post on a full-time basis — a promise that played a key role in her selection.
Sihelnik said she greatly enjoyed her time on the board.
"It has been an absolute privilege for me to be sitting in this seat with the appointment and honor that was bestowed upon me to be your county commissioner for just about a year," she said.
Sihelnik said she feels she helped accomplish the three goals she set when she first submitted her letter of intent for the post. The board was able to lead with a spirit of collaboration, implement the IMAGINE Berks economic strategic plan and strengthen the fiscal growth of the county.
"I will remember this experience very, very fondly," she said.
