Juneteenth 2021 – Congress approves bill to make day a federal public holiday as GOP compares to 'critical race theory'

THE United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to make Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday, and President Joe Biden is scheduled to sign the bill into law on Thursday.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered.

It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.

Despite the overwhelming support, some Republicans have criticized it, with Rep. Matt Rosendale saying: "This is an effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics as part of its larger efforts to make Critical Race Theory the reigning ideology of our country."

Read our Juneteenth live blog for all the latest news and updates…

  • Katie Balevic

    WHICH STATES CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH?

    Celebrations to commemorate the end of slavery take place across the country with parades and festivals marking the emancipation of enslaved Black people.

    However Texas, New York, Virginia and Washington are the four states where state employees get paid on the Juneteenth.

    In 2020, the death of George Floyd sparked racial injustice protests across the country with thousands of people gathering to protest against racism.

    Americans paid tribute by participating in demonstrations around the country, holding sit-ins, or taking part in car caravan protests.

  • Katie Balevic

    SEVERAL REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST JUNETEENTH FEDERAL HOLIDAY 

    Despite the overwhelming support for the bill, it wasn't a clean sweep when being passed through Congress.

    The Juneteenth legislation was voted against by 14 Republicans in the House.

  • Katie Balevic

    JUNETEENTH WILL BE AMERICA’S 12TH FEDERAL HOLIDAY 

    Federal employees will receive a paid day off on June 19, or on the nearest Friday or Monday to commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation.

    Texas first made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980, and “every state but South Dakota came to officially commemorate Juneteenth” in the decades following, according to CNN.

    Some cities and companies also recognize the holiday. In 2020, Juneteenth was formally recognized by New York City as a yearly official city holiday and public school holiday, starting the year after.

    It will become the 12th federal holiday in America.

  • Katie Balevic

    WHEN DOES JUNETEENTH START BEING A FEDERAL HOLIDAY? 

    The bill sailed through the US Senate, gaining unanimous approval on June 15 before being passed to Congress.

    The House of Representatives then also passed the legislation the following day, establishing June 19 as a legal public holiday.

    It will officially become a federal holiday upon President Joe Biden signs it into law, which is expected to take place on Thursday. 

  • Katie Balevic

    CONGRESS VOTES TO MAKE JUNETEENTH A FEDERAL HOLIDAY 

    Lawmakers have voted to make Juneteenth a federal holiday to commemorate the day when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free.

    The drive to pass the legislation again gained momentum in wake of the Black Lives Matter protests over the last year.

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