State of Delaware offices to close on Friday in honor of Juneteenth

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney has announced that he will close all State of Delaware offices on Friday in recognition of Juneteenth.

Carney released the following statement on the decision:

“As we move forward, I believe the least that each of us can do is commit to learning the lessons of our history. The good and the bad. That’s why on Friday, June 19, we will close state offices in recognition of Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the United States. This holiday offers an opportunity to encourage open dialogue, and to recommit to treating one another with more respect.”

In addition, Carney says they are working with the Delaware Heritage Commission to create an educational program around issues of race and slavery in Delaware and the U.S.

“If we don’t educate ourselves and acknowledge our ugly history around race, we can’t begin to understand the anger and frustration that I’ve heard from so many Delawareans in the last several weeks,” said Carney.

Carney added that next week he will sign an executive order to ban the use of chokehold at the Delaware State Police and Capitol Police and require additional de-escalation training. He says they will stop posting mugshots of children, mandate participation in the national use-of-force database, and increase crisis intervention training and mental health services for police officers.