Lawmakers Move To Make Juneteenth A Federal Holiday

TOPLINE

Members of Congress from both parties are proposing making Juneteenth, a day that celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., a federal holiday in the wake of protests across the country against racism and police brutality.

KEY FACTS

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 to honor the date when Union Army General Gordon Granger, who reached Texas in 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, informed slaves they were free.

Activists have been pushing the federal government and states to recognize Juneteenth since at least 2000 and 46 state governments have voted to observe the day in some form over the years, though only Texas has declared it an official state holiday. 

Crucial quote

“There needs to be a reckoning, an effort to unify. One thing about national holidays, they help educate people about what the story is,” Jackson Lee told Time Magazine. “Juneteenth legislation is a call for freedom, but it also reinforces the history of African Americans.

News peg

Private companies are also recognizing Juneteenth, too. Twitter, Google, General Motors, the Washington Post and New York Times and a growing list of major firms have made Juneteenth an official company holiday.

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