Duke to Make Juneteenth a Holiday in 2022

Duke University is expanding the number of designated holidays in 2022 by adding Juneteenth, which is now a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of slaves.

Juneteeth, known as the country’s second independence day, is celebrated on June 19, the day federal troops marched into Galveston Bay, Texas, to announce that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black Americans in the state were free. Because the holiday falls on a Sunday in 2022, Duke University will observe the holiday on Monday, June 20. 

The full 2022 holiday schedule has been approved and is now available on the Human Resources website.

Beginning in 2022, Duke University now provides 14 paid holidays as part of its comprehensive benefits package to support staff working 20 or more hours a week in their effort to balance work and family responsibilities.

The 14 holidays include both designated and discretionary holidays. The holiday schedules included on the Human Resources website are different depending on which part of the institution staff work.