Thanks to Pharrell Williams, the end of American slavery will be now honoured with a paid public holiday in the pop mega-star‘s home state of Virginia.
Williams joined state Governor Ralph Northam at a formal press conference to announce the new holiday proposal. It means all state employees get a paid day off on June 19th – aka Juneteenth; the anniversary of the end of American slavery in 1865.
Williams reportedly raised the idea of turning Juneteenth into a holiday with Gov. Northam over the weekend. Northam, a Democratic politician, has officially unveiled the legislation, which is expected to pass the Democrat-controlled state legislature.
Pharrell’s press conference speech drew attention to his African ancestors. “Virginia is where ships filled with kidnapped and enslaved Africans first landed on these shores over 400 years ago,” he said. “That’s right – not far from here my ancestors arrived on ships. All of them were enslaved. I’ve done my [Finding Your Roots] episode and yes, all of my ancestors were enslaved.”
Williams also underlined how meaningful the new holiday will be for African Americans in Virginia. “From this moment on when you look up, you look at the vastness of the night sky, and you see those stars moving up there – know that those stars are our African ancestors dancing,” he said.
“They’re dancing in celebration because their lives are finally being acknowledged. It’s not the end of it; it’s merely just the beginning. Their lives matter. Their descendants’ lives matter. Black lives matter in the eyes of the commonwealth. I can’t say that it always has, but finally we recognise that black lives absolutely matter. And that’s not political – they’re lives, they’re human beings.”
Williams grew up in Virginia Beach, the state’s most populous city. It’s there he met his Neptunes offsider Chad Hugo, with whom he’s co-written and produced records for the likes of Kelis, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Beyonce, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and loads more.
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Virginia Beach was also the breeding ground of fellow production wizard Timbaland and Clipse rappers Pusha T and No Malice. Timbaland’s close collaborator Missy Elliott is from the neighbouring city of Portsmouth, Virginia.
Check out by ‘Letter To My Godfather’ by Pharrell Williams:
