The House of Representatives voted 415-14 late Wednesday to establish June 19 as a federal holiday in the U.S. Called Juneteenth National Independence Day, the 156-year-old celebration commemorates the end of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865.
Celebrated in 47 states and the District of Columbia, Juneteenth has long been seen as a marker of the day state-sanctioned slavery in America ended.Democratic Rep.
Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts were the sponsors of the bipartisan bill, which passed unanimously in the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill next goes to President Biden’s desk, where it will surely be signed into law.“Our federal holidays are purposely few in number
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