House sends Juneteenth bill to Biden’s desk MarketWatch 8 hrs ago
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WASHINGTON (AP) The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the nation.
The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
Juneteenth commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but word didn’t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas. That was also about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the Southern states.
Kevin Freking
FILE- In this June 19, 2020, file photo, protesters chant as they march after a Juneteenth rally at the Brooklyn Museum, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) June 16, 2021 - 8:07 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) â The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.
The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Bidenâs desk, and he is expected to sign it into law.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas â two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.
Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. It now heads to Bidenâs desk Updated: 9:51 PM EDT Jun 16, 2021 By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press
Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. It now heads to Bidenâs desk Share Updated: 9:51 PM EDT Jun 16, 2021
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Show Transcript Yeah. By making juneteenth a federal holiday. We re recognizing the sins of the past, grappling with them, teaching them and learning from as we work towards a more perfect union. It will be the only federal holiday that recognizes the terrible legacy of slavery as well as the noble truth that none of us are free until we are all free. This is an important step. We are recognizing the truth of our history and the missing half of the story of our nation s freedom and independence and our work continues. There is still more work to be done to ensure justice for all, to rid of the inequities that continue to plague our nati
WASHINGTON
The House on Wednesday passed legislation designating June 19 as a new federal holiday, just a day after the Senate voted unanimously to approve a mirror bill commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
The rare bipartisan legislation, which passed 415 to 14, will go to President Biden’s desk just a day or two before the date arrives on Saturday.
“What I see here today is racial divide crumbling, being crushed this day under a momentous vote that brings together people who understand the value of freedom,” said Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas. “And that is what Juneteenth is all about.”