The move comes after a two-year long examination of employee compensation across 16 other government agencies comparable to Buncombe County.

The move comes after a two-year long examination of employee compensation across 16 other government agencies comparable to Buncombe County.
County leaders say establishing the holiday, which commemorates the 1865 announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation by Union soldiers to enslaved people in Texas, is supported by the county’s Equity and Inclusion Workgroup and would “represent an authentic and more inclusive history of freedom in America.”