Juneteenth: A New Federal Holiday Commemorating the End of Slavery

President Biden to Sign Bill Establishing Juneteenth as Federal Holiday

The new holiday will be observed on June 19th

President Joe Biden will sign a bill today into law that will establish Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday.

Juneteenth has been celebrated on June 19th since 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the freedom of enslaved people.

The new federal holiday will be the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously and the House of Representatives by a vote of 415 to 14.

President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.

The establishment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a significant step towards recognizing the history of slavery in the United States and its lasting legacy.

The holiday will provide an opportunity for Americans to reflect on the progress that has been made in the fight for racial justice and to recommit to the work that remains to be done.