Juneteenth is an important time to celebrate freedom, justice and equality. However, many people are not aware that the day even exists. It is never too late to learn about a subject, and it appears that many Americans have done their research on the topic and are asking their representatives to support a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery.
Juneteenth takes place on June 19th and will be the 12th federal holiday. On Wednesday the House of Representatives voted 415-14 on the bill. It is now expected to reach the desk of President Joe Biden for him to sign into law.
Juneteenth is a time of reflection on June 19, 1865, when Union troops informed enslaved people in Galveston, Texas about their freedom-which took place about two months after the surrendering of the Confederacy. It was also about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the South. Juneteenth represents the enforcement of the proclamation and the celebration of bringing freedom, justice and equality to all people even after the signing of legislation that was supposed to provide freedom.
Juneteenth is the first federal holiday since the passing of legislation for the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
“Our federal holidays are purposely few in number and recognize the most important milestones,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. “I cannot think of a more important milestone to commemorate than the end of slavery in the United States.”
The bill passed the Senate unanimously the previous day, and they implemented measures to more quickly establish the creation of the holiday. As time passes, this moment can be observed as a great paradigm for achieving bipartisanship in the federal government.