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Juneteenth: A New Federal Holiday Honoring the End of Slavery
A Day of Remembrance and Celebration
In June 2021, Juneteenth became the latest federal holiday in the United States, the first to be approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18, 1983. Officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, this holiday is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
The Significance of Juneteenth
Juneteenth marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and slaves were now free. This news came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, which had officially abolished slavery in the Confederate states.
For decades, African Americans in Texas and other parts of the country celebrated Juneteenth as a day of freedom and liberation. Over time, the holiday gained wider recognition and became a symbol of the struggle for racial equality.
Establishing Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday
In recent years, there have been growing calls to make Juneteenth a national holiday. In 2020, following the nationwide protests against racial injustice, the momentum for making Juneteenth a federal holiday increased. On June 16, 2021, the United States Congress passed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a new federal holiday.
President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on June 17, 2021, making Juneteenth the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The holiday took effect immediately, and the first federal Juneteenth holiday was celebrated on June 19, 2021.
Honoring the Legacy of Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a day to remember the history of slavery in the United States and celebrate the resilience and determination of African Americans who fought for their freedom. It is also a day to reflect on the progress that has been made in the fight for racial equality and to recommit to building a more just and equitable society for all.
As President Biden said when he signed the bill into law, "Juneteenth is a day of profound weight and profound power, a day in which we remember the long, hard night of slavery and celebrate the promise of a brighter morning to come."
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