Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a US federal holiday
- 3 years ago
President Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth or June 19th a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery - the 12th federal holiday.
This is a day of profound weight and profound power, a day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take, Mr Biden said.
He said he believed it will go down as one of the greatest honours he has as president.
The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to send the bill to Biden, while the Senate passed the bill unanimously the day before.
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.
#Juneteenth #JoeBiden #USFederalHoliday
This is a day of profound weight and profound power, a day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take, Mr Biden said.
He said he believed it will go down as one of the greatest honours he has as president.
The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to send the bill to Biden, while the Senate passed the bill unanimously the day before.
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.
#Juneteenth #JoeBiden #USFederalHoliday