BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama has officially made Juneteenth a permanent state holiday, but the move is raising eyebrows after Governor Kay Ivey credited President Donald Trump for the state’s annual observance-a gesture many see as political posturing rather than genuine leadership.
Ivey signed the legislation Thursday, closing state offices every June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery. Juneteenth, which marks the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom, has been a federal holiday since 2021. Yet, in her statement, Ivey said, “Since President Trump observed Juneteenth in June of 2020, we have proclaimed it each year, and I am pleased the Legislature has made it an official state holiday”.
The governor’s decision to single out Trump is striking, given that President Joe Biden signed the law making Juneteenth a federal holiday and that presidents before Trump had acknowledged the day. Alabama, a state with a fraught civil rights history and three Confederate holidays still on the books, has long resisted formally recognizing Juneteenth. Black lawmakers have pushed for years to make it official, but the bill that passed was sponsored by a white Republican and advanced without the support of many Black Democrats.
Critics say Ivey’s praise of Trump is out of step with the holiday’s meaning and reflects a broader trend among Alabama’s Republican leadership to align themselves with the president, regardless of the facts. The move comes as the state continues to honor Confederate Memorial Day, Jefferson Davis’ birthday, and Robert E. Lee Day-holidays that many see as incompatible with the spirit of Juneteenth.
The new law makes Alabama one of the last Southern states to formally recognize Juneteenth, but the crediting of Trump for something he did not initiate has left many observers perplexed, calling the gesture more about political loyalty than historical accuracy.