[Communications] MWRD Board of Commissioners recognize Juneteenth as holiday option for employees

Fri Aug 7 12:25:00 CDT 2020

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For immediate release
August 7, 2020
MWRD Board of Commissioners recognize Juneteenth as holiday option for employees

In the photo (front row, L-R): MWRD Vice President Barbara McGowan, President Kari
K. Steele and Commissioner Frank Avila. (Back Row, L-R): Commissioners Mariyana 
Spyropoulos, Marcelino Garcia, Debra Shore, Josina Morita, Kim Neely Du Buclet and
Cameron Davis.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Board of Commissioners
unanimously made a trailblazing decision to approve plans that will allow employees
to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday for the first time.
In recognition of the importance of Juneteenth as the oldest known celebration of
emancipation of slaves in the United States, MWRD officials sought a way to more
 fully recognize the day. Although Juneteenth is observed each year on June 19, 
the occasion is officially celebrated in Illinois on the third Saturday in June 
annually. With this change, the MWRD gives employees the choice to use June 19 as
their one additional holiday selection each year. In addition to Juneteenth, the
 additional holiday choices for MWRD employees include the days preceding or following
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year's Day.
"The day symbolizes freedom, achievement, and racial equality not only for the descendants
of former slaves, but for all Americans, and we feel that it should be recognized
in that light," said MWRD Vice President Barbara McGowan.
On July 16, the commissioners passed a resolution honoring Juneteenth, and on June
19 of this year, the MWRD joined the state of Illinois in lowering its flags to 
celebrate Juneteenth. The date marked the 155th anniversary of the ending of slavery
in the United States. It was on this day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger
and his Union soldiers marched into in Galveston, Texas with the news that the war
had ended and proclaimed "absolute equality of rights" to liberate the country's
 last remaining slaves.
Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday in 47 states. There is legislation in
Illinois sponsored by state Rep. Thaddeus Jones (29th District) that will observe
Juneteenth National Freedom Day on June 19. Although it was still 2.5 years after
President Abraham Lincoln's famous Emancipation Proclamation, Juneteenth gives Americans
opportunity to reflect on the nation's history, the struggle for civil rights and
continued work for equality.
"The MWRD is the first government agency to recognize this holiday and at no additional
cost to taxpayers," said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. "We are proud to afford 
this holiday to our staff to allow them to reflect, celebrate and remember our past."
"The day symbolizes freedom, achievement, and racial equality not only for the descendants
of former slaves, but for all Americans, and we feel that it should be recognized
in that light especially since our fight for equity continues on today," said MWRD
Commissioner Kimberly Du Buclet. "It is deserving of recognition just as a day off
around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day holidays."

# # #
Office of Public Affairs
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
MWRD: Recovering Resources, Transforming Water
mwrd.org [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wnnaWumnX7RGtzFr6G26T0lEOidhrzhZu4bgMMO7kHdz2R9uMxOvLtVx9es6f2PJTd6BUw67ZJaG4S2DkAP_s2jRQkwuGMfwGfL4faKXkA5kxn40GSMPtAflQ5PYSnEAuJEsreJfqzVQnuGZDCXt8B50Ce8BI3XSIRhQ651YzQcqCvdp6smqJy9pi1MZrznMOXsJh7iNxwO9dr1E0iKLwg==&c=oI4EbfmWRS2BFsQRlnyjZgoheeYnOzHhH-n9-1Zdt9ttTIY1l0Z0Nw==&ch=VdZFVnA8GjVLHva-_Z6dx5DpyvZzDJb_T8WT_OCrCOm8JDtYjRSc0w==]
. facebook [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wnnaWumnX7RGtzFr6G26T0lEOidhrzhZu4bgMMO7kHdz2R9uMxOvLhqMjpxlPOSyEkQJf2hUZC9Ipi2-AcYifHVU6tGPKeNk9QUYlMTQ-tNEZYZzwFVACVm4kMOFAPCu6RAdB6AXRs5hQTdfAvNil-WuASZqK67qEMnf60QM4M8llckT6md4ifiKi2nBtYHLLj2PtSoc8_0xz7e_BctZYetrzcVmYQNS&c=oI4EbfmWRS2BFsQRlnyjZgoheeYnOzHhH-n9-1Zdt9ttTIY1l0Z0Nw==&ch=VdZFVnA8GjVLHva-_Z6dx5DpyvZzDJb_T8WT_OCrCOm8JDtYjRSc0w==]
. twitter [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wnnaWumnX7RGtzFr6G26T0lEOidhrzhZu4bgMMO7kHdz2R9uMxOvLhqMjpxlPOSyw51ifkMzG4lPK2T4ihwi6KBWHULIkX5Hu1esFAZsRF9z3i_536J2LRIdIjvJhsDGJFCZprRFnE0DhaAJxym3EkBDTL9GCm5gYl5MdOVWVmGzOWFkLE_o3Q==&c=oI4EbfmWRS2BFsQRlnyjZgoheeYnOzHhH-n9-1Zdt9ttTIY1l0Z0Nw==&ch=VdZFVnA8GjVLHva-_Z6dx5DpyvZzDJb_T8WT_OCrCOm8JDtYjRSc0w==]
. Instagram [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wnnaWumnX7RGtzFr6G26T0lEOidhrzhZu4bgMMO7kHdz2R9uMxOvLsks-_mWRYBDKruaDC842aT8G-2zeTVU29UtGPMicqp-Yo5x2VFYF6PfuLnOO_xQrbUfrHefPia1YaLrZgbzY0TjLlo3OxNsHDrifk0K7CewpscYOMBqddE44PMC5DbsUssN0KW10o_QZ23HfNmvZ9CwjoatkuORmw==&c=oI4EbfmWRS2BFsQRlnyjZgoheeYnOzHhH-n9-1Zdt9ttTIY1l0Z0Nw==&ch=VdZFVnA8GjVLHva-_Z6dx5DpyvZzDJb_T8WT_OCrCOm8JDtYjRSc0w==]
.  LinkedIn [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wnnaWumnX7RGtzFr6G26T0lEOidhrzhZu4bgMMO7kHdz2R9uMxOvLhqMjpxlPOSydS0I90jT9Ex47Y7TFlOxInimTsnRxGBH3LS_ODfJF3qBjnHph3O_V559CeLKSx89HcidABe-GahoUkIetP2vSlj1rn9QP9aoKIZhoMvYFRtgKaMfekRL5denesdGZoOUzF-xLZ1BiVCSktYlRsyl6e0FDvt3DhhNqT7tjQuLLlkHv0bBmsHUKNRK85A3eY9ugs6jQI4rT8th9Y-ognllKwZFZzjda_Wx&c=oI4EbfmWRS2BFsQRlnyjZgoheeYnOzHhH-n9-1Zdt9ttTIY1l0Z0Nw==&ch=VdZFVnA8GjVLHva-_Z6dx5DpyvZzDJb_T8WT_OCrCOm8JDtYjRSc0w==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See what's happening on our social sites

Facebook [http://your.website.address.here]

Twitter [http://your.website.address.here]

LinkedIn [http://your.website.address.here]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forward this email
http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=xody9orab&m=1118263053783&ea=$communications@chicagocommunitygardens.org$&a=1134632900105

This email was sent to communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org by public.affairs at mwrd.org.

Update Profile/Email Address
https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=001ULBP66fr1rR1J5h_eRfO2g%3D%3D&ch=586b8e42-33f6-11ea-a856-d4ae529cddd3&ca=dabead17-c236-4893-8950-bb10964dea8e

Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM)
https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001ULBP66fr1rR1J5h_eRfO2g%3D%3D&ch=586b8e42-33f6-11ea-a856-d4ae529cddd3&ca=dabead17-c236-4893-8950-bb10964dea8e

Privacy Policy:
http://www.constantcontact.com/legal/service-provider?cc=about-service-provider

Online Marketing by
Constant Contact(R)
www.constantcontact.com

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago | 100 E. Erie Street | Chicago | IL | 60611
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/pipermail/communications_chicagocommunitygardens.org/attachments/20200807/4c73a2de/attachment-0001.html>