Durham County’s Historical Recognition of Juneteenth Holiday Scheduled For June 18
Durham, NC – For the first time, Durham County Government will recognize the Juneteenth holiday. Recognition of Juneteenth noted as the oldest African American holiday observance in America, comes after the Board of County Commissioners voted in favor of its implementation as an official County holiday earlier this year.
Juneteenth honors the historical significance of June 19, 1865, when remaining enslaved African Americans in the United States were freed nearly three years following the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862. Observations of Juneteenth 2021 are scheduled to take place in the Durham area. For a listing of celebrations throughout North Carolina, click here.
While Juneteenth is officially celebrated on June 19, the County will close most offices on Friday, June 18, 2021, in observation of the holiday.
The full schedule detailing holidays observed by Durham County Government is available here.
Durham County General Services
Convenience Sites
The Durham County General Services Department will close its Parkwood Site on Friday, June 18 to recognize the Juneteenth holiday. The Bahama, Redwood, and Rougemont Convenience Sites will close on Saturday, June 19. Durham County residents with a current solid waste decal can resume disposal of garbage, recycling, yard waste, and bulky items at the County’s convenience sites on Monday, June 21 at 7 a.m.
For a list of Durham County Convenience Sites and hours of operations, click here.
Roadside Recycling Collection
Unincorporated residents participating in the County’s Roadside Recycling Program (green recycling carts) will have no changes to their recycling collection due to the Juneteenth holiday. Unincorporated residents are reminded that carts should be set out by 6 am on their regularly scheduled pick-up day.
To learn more about Durham County’s General Services Department, call (919) 560-0433, or log on to www.dconc.gov/recycling or the General Services website.
Durham County Library
All locations of the Durham County Library will be closed on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19 in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday. All branch and regional library locations, as well as Library Take-Out! at Main Library, will reopen on Tuesday, June 22.
Log on to the Durham County Library website for information about programs and services.
Durham County Department of Public Health
The Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) will follow the Durham County Government Juneteenth holiday schedule.
For Public Health emergencies during the holiday closure, including communicable disease reporting, environmental health, and suspected foodborne illnesses, call 911 and ask for the Durham County Department of Public Health’s response team member on-call.
Public Health clinics, including the walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic, will re-open on Monday, June 21. A reminder that all people age 12 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Click here for more information about scheduling a vaccine appointment or for walk-in hours of operation.
For information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic or general information about services provided by DCoDPH, please visit www.dcopublichealth.org.
Durham County Social Services
The Durham County Department of Social Services (DSS) will close its offices on June 18, 2021. While offices are closed, residents should contact an on-call social worker by calling 919-560-4600 to report child abuse and neglect or adult abuse and neglect. On June 21, 2021, DSS will reopen and operate according to its normal hours of operation.
For more information about Durham County DSS, visit the DSS homepage at www.dconc.gov/DSS.