MN Gov. Walz makes Juneteenth a holiday, bans hair discrimination

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Juneteeth will become a state holiday in Minnesota, under a bill signed by Gov. Tim Walz in a state where it’s now illegal to discriminate on the basis of hair texture or style.

The Democratic governor made Minnesota the 26th state to recognize June 19th as a holiday. It’s the date in 1865 viewed as the final abolition of slavery in the U.S. It became a federal holiday in 2021.

Walz also held a ceremonial signing Friday of a bill known as the CROWN Act. It explicitly prohibits racial discrimination based on natural hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locs, and twists.