Juneteenth will be a holiday for state employees in New York this year and will become an official holiday for all state residents in 2021, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, memorializes the day when slaves were freed in the former Confederate states. Cuomo said he will sign an executive order to establish the day as a holiday for state employees, then build legislation to make it an official state holiday next year. His announcement comes just a day after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said he would take the same steps in his state, the location of the Confederate capital. Texas has celebrated Juneteenth as a state holiday since 1980.