Juneteenth Holiday bill passes in the U.S. Senate

The Senate has signed a bill to make Juneteenth a national holiday with full bi-partisan support on Tuesday. It will now move to the House floor before moving to President Joe Biden's desk where he is expected to make it official. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery and is observed mid-June, which falls on this weekend (June 19) this year.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) co-authored the bill in 2020, both representing Texas where Juneteenth has been a formal holiday for 40 years.

Cornyn tweeted on Tuesday afternoon, “Now more than ever, we need to learn from our history and continue to form a more perfect union.” The bill now has 18 Republican co-sponsors.

Over 150 years ago, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston Bay, Texas, Major Gen. Gordan Granger announced that the more than 250,000 slaves who were still under the confederacy were free by executive decree. Pres. Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier. Blacks called this day "Juneteenth," AKA Black Independence Day, and it was eventually celebrated by formerly enslaved Blacks across the United States. However, many people are not aware of this momentous event in the legacy of slavery.

While African Americans have held festivals and events to acknowledge this historic moment, a national holiday enables everyone to recognize the end of slavery.

Last year the bill was stopped by objections from a Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson who joined the rest of the Senate this time, passing it by unanimous consent.

Over 150 years ago, in Gen Granger announced the emancipation in

Last year the bill was stopped by objections from a Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson who joined the rest of the Senate this time, passing it by unanimous consent.