According to reports, the U.S. Senate made a unanimous vote to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday.
Juneteenth commemorates the last swathes of enslaved African Americans in Texas, learning their manumission on June 19, 1865. Since Texas began recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday in 1980, 48 other states have approved of the holiday.
“While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin). “Therefore, I do not intend to object.”
The lead sponsor of the bill, Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn, tweeted on Tuesday:
"Happy that my bill to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday just passed the Senate. It has been a state holiday in Texas for more than 40 years. Now more than ever, we need to learn from our history and continue to form a more perfect union."
Source: abc7news.com
