Juneteenth could become a national holiday through Senate bill

• A Senate bill could establish Juneteenth as the 11th annual federal holiday if it gets passed by the House and signed by the president into law.
• Juneteenth, or June 19, marks the end of slavery in the United States.
• The bill was first introduced last year during the height of the BLM movement but only gained sufficient support this year.

A bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday could establish Juneteenth as a national holiday. The historical day marks the end of slavery in the United States.

The unanimously passed bill will now go to the House of Representatives, where it’s expected to be passed as well. It will then go to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law as the 11th annual federal holiday.

Juneteenth or Freedom Day is celebrated on June 19. It commemorates the date in 1865 when formerly enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas learned of their emancipation.

Over 150 years later, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) moved to pass the bill via unanimous consent. There were no objections. Even Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) dropped his previous objection to the bill.

Johnson explained, “While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter.”

The bill was first introduced by Texas lawmakers, Sen. John Cornyn (R) and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) last spring during the height of nationwide protests against racism. The bill could not get enough support back then but was able to this year after including 18 GOP co-sponsors.

Cornyn declared on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, “It has been a state holiday in Texas for more than 40 years. Now more than ever, we need to learn from our history and continue to form a more perfect union.”

Some Black Americans have been celebrating Juneteenth since the late 1800s, but the holiday celebrations only became more popular in recent years. Recent celebrations feature parades, festivals, educational events, and barbecues.

“Many Black Americans feel as though this is the first time in a long time that they have been heard in a way across the culture,” Mark Anthony Neal, an African American studies professor at Duke University, told the New York Times last June. “It’s an opportunity for folks to kind of catch their breath about what has been this incredible pace of change and shifting that we’ve seen.”

Source: Yahoo! News