Congress sends a bill to President Biden making June 19 a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
The United States Congress on Wednesday passed a bill to juinteenth, or June 19, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the country.
By an overwhelming vote, the United States House followed the Senate in passing the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature. The Senate passed the bill on June 15 by unanimous consent, which expedited the process of reviewing the legislation.
“The passage of the June National Independence Day Law is a long overdue recognition of generations of pain and suffering in our black communities,” said Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat.
Juneteenth commemorates the time the last enslaved black Americans learned they were free after the American Civil War between the Southern Confederate Slaving States and the Northern Union Free States.
Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but the news did not reach the last enslaved blacks until June 19, when Union soldiers announced freedom in Galveston, Texas. This was more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Freeing American Slaves in 1862.
Known as the “Second Independence Day” of the United States, Juneteenth is a major holiday for African Americans and is celebrated in black communities across the United States with prayer breakfasts, civic events. , family reunions, barbecues and parties.
“Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a big step forward in recognizing the wrongs of the past,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday.
“But we must continue to work to ensure equal justice and keep the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation and our Constitution.”
Juneteenth has taken on increased prominence amid recent nationwide calculations with the United States history of racism and widespread nationwide protests following the death of George floyd last year, a black man who suffocated under the knee of a white policeman.
“We have so much work to do to rid this country of systemic racism, discrimination and hate,” said Representative Brenda Lawrence, a Democrat.
“We still live today in blatant racism and slavery which denied us education, denied us the possibility of economic development, empowered ourselves, denied us the right to have a job and own property. It’s still a problem in America, ”Lawrence said.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson opposed a bill in the previous Congress to celebrate June 17 as a federal holiday because of the cost and lack of debate, he said.
Johnson noted that he had supported resolutions recognizing the importance of Juneteenth, but he was concerned the new holiday would give federal employees another day off at a cost of around $ 600 million per year.
“While it still seems odd that taxpayers are giving federal employees paid time off that is now necessary to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to discuss the matter further. . Therefore, I have no intention of opposing it, ”Johnson said in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
Almost all states in the United States already recognize Juneteenth as a public holiday or have an official celebration of the day, and most states hold celebrations. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
Under the law, the federal holiday would be known as National Independence Day on June 15.
