The US Senate Passes a bill that celebrated the end of slavery in 1865 – making Juneteenth a national holiday
June 15, 2021
WASHINGTON (AGN.News) – Today, the US Senate Passed the 2021 Juneteenth bill, titled the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. The bill has 60 Senate cosponsors. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery on June 19, 1865. This bill, once passed by the House and signed by President Joe Biden, will make a Juneteenth the 11th national holiday.
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth Holiday is an annual holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Originating in Texas, it is now celebrated annually in this 21st century on the 19th of June throughout the United States, with varying official recognition.
Specifically, Juneteenth commemorates Union Army Major General Gordon Granger (with 2,000 federal troops) announcing federal orders at Ashton Villa on the corner of 24th Street and 2328 Broadway Street in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free.
General Granger’s 2,000 federal troops marched through Galveston reading General Order No. 3 first at the Union Army Headquarters located at Strand Street and 22nd Street, then at the 1861 Custom House and courthouse before marching to the Negro Church on Broadway (renamed Reedy Chapel-AME Church). These troops were in Galveston to enforce the emancipation of slaves. For more information, please go here.
The goal: Equal opportunity in all areas of life along with unbiased treatment as citizens and their descendants who worked to build this great nation.
What about a national holiday?
The 21st century has brought renewed calls to make Juneteenth a national holiday, joining several states, including Texas, who recognizes the importance of “mending fences” with the descendants of the more than 4 million enslaved people who were bought and sold, humiliated, harassed, tortured, murdered, as well as sexually assaulted, and worked without monetary compensation for over two hundred years.
In Washington, the most senior Republican in the Senate said on Thursday, June 18, 2020 that he would introduce a bill to make Juneteenth (June 19) a federal holiday. As of now, 47 states (Hawaii, North and South Dakota do not recognize Juneteenth) honor Juneteenth as a state holiday. Many democratic members of congress (some for over 20 years) have joined this effort to make Juneteenth (June 19) a national federal holiday.
Juneteenth National Independence Day
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, first introduced the bill last spring at the height of racial tension in the country following the murder of George Floyd, but they could not garner the support needed. Now, about a year later, the bill included 18 GOP co-sponsors.
“It has been a state holiday in Texas for more than 40 years,” Cornyn tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “Now more than ever, we need to learn from our history and continue to form a more perfect union.”
Today, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, the promise made was fulfilled. The bill, Juneteenth National Independence Day, making Juneteenth a national holiday was introduced and passed by the United States Senate.
Now the bill goes to the House and then to President Joe Biden for his signature. Then throughout the land, in all states, and territories, Juneteenth will be a holiday to be celebrated by all Americans, especially African Americans who have celebrated it since the 1800s.
Today, cities and towns across the country mark the date, June 19th, with festivals, parades, barbecues, music, concerts, and educational events. Beginning in 2022 all of America will celebrate June 19th as Juneteenth National Independence Day.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said it best. “Now more than ever, we need to learn from our history and continue to form a more perfect union.”
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