ORLANDO, FLA. – On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday. It’s the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was added.
Besides now being a new day that federal employees have as paid time off, what do people really know about the origins of Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is a remembrance of June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived at Galveston Island to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln nearly 2.5 years before. Texas was the last state of the Confederacy in which enslaved people officially gained their freedom.
The 13th amendment, which abolished slavery, was passed by Congress on Jan. 31, 1865, and ratified in December of that year.
Now, what date is Juneteenth observed?
Juneteenth is observed on June 19. That is where it gets its name — a combination of June and 19th. Since June 19 falls on a Sunday this year, most federal employees will get Monday, June 20 off.
But how do you celebrate it? Celebrate by buying from black-owned businesses, supporting and volunteering at community organizations that work to defend civil rights, and educating yourself on racial issues that persist within the country.
Even though Texas was the last state to end slavery, it was the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday in 1890.
Source: www.cnet.com; www.nbcchicago.com
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer and Editor.
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