Allentown to recognize Juneteenth as city holiday

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown employees will have off Juneteenth to observe the holiday that marks the official end of slavery in the United States.

Allentown City Council unanimously voted last week to add Juneteenth — celebrated on June 19 — to the city's list of paid holidays for full-time non-bargaining employees.

That list also includes New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas.

Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach highlighted the timing of council’s vote, which came against a backdrop of investigations into reports of racism within City Hall.

The FBI and city police are “working in tandem” to investigate after a Black woman found a noose on her desk Jan. 10, Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca told LehighValleyNews.com on Wednesday.

And council members could hire a Philadelphia law firm to lead an investigation into the city’s nondiscrimination and personnel policies.

Hope it's not just 'symbolic'

Council in October 2023 authorized an investigation into claims of workplace discrimination and racism by and against city employees; members hired former FBI agent Scott Curtis in June 2024 to lead that probe.

But Curtis’s work now is on hold and could be over if council approves a measure hiring Duane Morris LLP.

It’s unclear whether Curtis will release a report on the work he’s done for the past six months.

Gerlach said she hopes approving Juneteenth as a city holiday isn’t just a “symbolic” gesture for city employees.

“I hope that isn't the case, because isn't it weird to honor Juneteenth and then have a culture within [City Hall] that doesn't exactly mesh,” Gerlach said.

She called on her colleagues and residents to “recognize … slavery still exists for the punishment of crimes.”

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude except when used as a sentence for a criminal conviction.