Fulton County Government will recognize Juneteenth as paid employee holiday instead of Columbus Day

ATLANTA - Fulton County will recognize Juneteenth as a paid county holiday for its employees instead of Columbus Day starting in 2021, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners decided this month.

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts tells FOX 5's Alex Whittler this was a spur of the moment action that he says "seemed to make" sense given current events.

"2020 is going to be a year that is remembered for years to come," Pitts said.

The coronavirus altered just about everything, including basic runs to grocery store, and with millions of people staying home to avoid the virus, all eyes were watching the fallout over the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.

Chairman Pitts says those deaths sparked a renewed interest in Juneteenth.

"The Black Lives Matter movement has generated interest in all things Black, not only in this country but all over the world," he said.

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June 19, 1865, is the day slaves in Texas learned of the emancipation proclamation that freed them two years prior.

The NFL and other major American corporations started to recognize the plight of Black Americans by celebrating the day this year.

"It was only natural and fitting that Fulton County, representing what it represents with respect to the diversity of our population, that we become one also," Pitts said.

African Americans across the country have celebrated the day for decades but starting in 2021, Fulton County offices will recognize June 19 as a holiday, closing county offices and giving 5,000 employees a paid day off.

Fulton County government will no longer recognize Columbus Day as one of its 13 paid holidays, although it is still a federal holiday.

Chairman Pitts says swabbing one holiday for the other was one of his concerns.

"In this environment, if you make a change, you’re going to offend someone," he said.'

"This was not an organized effort," he explained. "The conversation happened rather quickly."

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Six of the seven members of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for county employees during last Wednesday's meeting.

The one vote against it, Pitts says, was not so much against recognizing Juneteenth, but rather against switching one holiday for another.