The town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee wants Barrington to recognize Juneteenth as a town holiday.

DEI Committee Chairman Braxton Howard Medlin spoke during the July 25 council meeting. He said that Juneteenth (June 19) is a federal holiday, adding that he celebrated Juneteenth as a child growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., and would like to see it become a town holiday here in Barrington.

Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll said he asked the town’s Human Resources director to take a closer look at the issue. He said the town would need to provide that day as a holiday to local police officers, firefighters and dispatchers. Carroll said Barrington Department of Public Works employees already observe Juneteenth as a holiday, if it falls on a weekday. If Juneteenth falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is not eligible for holiday pay.

Carroll said there would costs associated with the decision, but he added that those costs would not be realized until next fiscal year. Barrington Human Resources Director Mari-Anne Oliveira said the costs would actually fall in the current fiscal year. Carroll then said that town officials would have to find the money needed to accommodate the change.

Barrington Councilor Annelise Conway said she was shocked to learn that Juneteenth is not already a state holiday, as it is federal holiday. She endorsed pressuring state legislators to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday.

Fellow council member Jacob Brier agreed, stating that he was also surprised to learn that it was not a Rhode Island holiday. He also agreed that Juneteenth should be a town holiday.

Carroll later made a motion to have the town solicitor prepare an ordinance to make Juneteenth a town holiday. There was also a motion to draft a resolution urging the RI legislators to recognize it as a state holiday.

Both motions passed.