Georgia legislature passed a bill last month that declared Juneteenth, a mandatory paid holiday for state employees.

What’s new: The University System of Georgia voted in favor of adopting the holiday, also known as Emancipation Day, which will result in not holding classes and closing administrative offices across universities. 

Why it matters: This holiday annually commemorates the abolition of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. It was declared a federal holiday in June of 2021, the first holiday to be approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983, according to CNN.

What’s next: Georgia Southern will be updating its calendars in observance of the holiday, and any updates to the university policy will be found in the Digital Commons.