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SANDPOINT — Racial tensions were strained at Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting with commissioners and citizens questioning the need for the newest national holiday, Juneteenth, before unanimously passing a resolution recognizing it.

The Human Resources department brought the resolution before commissioners requesting Juneteenth be recognized as a holiday in Bonner County. Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday earlier this year on June 17 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Governor Brad Little signed a similar proclamation the same day recognizing the holiday in Idaho.

Juneteenth, also known as Black Independence Day, commemorates the emancipation of U.S. slaves beginning in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. This date also marks the end of the Civil War.

The resolution to locally recognize the holiday was presented before the commissioners because Juneteenth is a federally recognized holiday, and the county recognizes all federal holidays. A few citizens disagreed with the observance of the new holiday for financial and political reasons.

Robert Patterson asked the commissioners if Juneteenth would be a paid holiday, and how the county intends to make up the cost for lost time.

“Our policy is pretty clear that we recognize all federal holidays,” said Commissioner Jeff Connolly. “It’s not that difficult to say OK, this is what it is, and this is what we have agreed to.’”

“I agree,” said Robert Patterson. “It’s really easy to say ‘It is what it is, and we’ll just pay more money.’”

“Whoa that wasn’t what I said, but I guess whatever, twist my words,” Connolly said.

“To the truth, yes,” Patterson responded.

Commissioner Chairman Dan McDonald interrupted, “We’re not excited about it, but that’s the policy and you can’t just play fast and loose with policy.”

After Patterson sat down, a woman two seats over approached the microphone.

“I’m OK doing the holiday but is it OK to do a floating holiday?” asked Asia Williams. “[Juneteenth] is a political stunt. Do you have to say that’s what you’re officially celebrating; is this arbitrary enslaved peoples’ free day?”

“I see I’m the only black person in this room,” Williams said. “We got a whole month right now. Juneteenth is very polarizing and I don’t think it’s conducive to what we’re experiencing racially in this country. I personally believe we could be creating problems with this race issue.”

“We will get a lot of backlash racially if we deny,” said Commissioner Steven Bradshaw.

“I’m the only one in the room right now. So I think we’re good,” Williams said.

“If a white guy said ‘we’re not going to honor Juneteenth’ you see where that’s going to go. That’s an absolute, it’s going to happen,” Bradshaw said.

“We could observe the day and call it something else, call it, ‘We Were Forced to Do This [Day]’” McDonald said.

“Or, ‘Enjoy Our Tax Money,” Williams said.

“We’ll go to work on it as commissioners and see if there’s something we can work out here,” McDonald said. “We’ll find a different way to skin this cat.”

The commissioners unanimously approved the recognition of Juneteenth as a legally recognized holiday in Bonner County, however, private companies are not required to observe federal holidays. The state law mandating that Idaho recognize federal holidays was enacted in 1881, nine years before Idaho officially became a state.