President Joe Biden and the U.S. House of Representatives have passed the bill officially marking Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday.
What We Know:
- The bill was passed in the House with a vote of 415-14 on Wednesday and passed unanimously in the Senate on Tuesday. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer couldn’t wait to vote on the bill and “urged bipartisan support” from other representatives. Bill sponsor Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) stated that with this bill, she sees “racial divide crumbling” and that this vote is connecting people who understand the merit of freedom.
“It’s not often when you can stand on the floor of the House and use the terminology, ‘I feel full.’ Let us come together…we are here to serve, and there’s more to come, in changing lives, for justice, equality and freedom. That is what happened today,” said Lee.
- 14 Republican representatives voted against the passing of the bill. They include Reps. Thomas Massie (KY), Mo Brooks (AL), Scott DesJarlais (TN), Andy Biggs (AZ), Tom Tiffany (WI), Doug LaMalfa (CA), Tom McClintock (CA), Mike Rogers (AL), Matt Rosendale (MT), Ronny Jackson (TX), Ralph Norman (TX), Andrew Clyde (GA), Chip Roy (TX), and Paul Gosar (AZ).
- Some Republicans believe the name for the holiday, Juneteenth National Independence Day, will cause confusion with the Fourth of July. Massie argued that Americans will feel as if they have to choose which independence day to celebrate. Others who opposed the bill felt that the bill is being used to “make Americans feel bad and convince them that our country is evil.”
“Let’s call an ace an ace. 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,” said Rosendale.
- On Thursday, Biden signed the bill officially declaring Juneteenth, a federal holiday. Biden believes the signing of this bill will go down as one of his greatest accomplishments while being in office. He wants Americans to use this holiday as a way to learn about our country’s history and celebrate “the distance we’ve come and the distance we have to travel.”
“Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments…they embrace them,” Pres. Biden says as Juneteenth is made a holiday.
“Great nations don’t walk away. We come to terms with the mistakes we’ve made. And remembering those moments, we begin to heal” https://t.co/9kpu90QEQ1 pic.twitter.com/f7uiFhCcGk
— ABC News (@ABC) June 17, 2021
- 80 members of Congress were in the East Room with Biden, as he signed the bill into law at Thursday’s ceremony. Members included those of the Congressional Black Caucus, community activists, and some local officials. 94-year-old activist Opal Lee, who many refer to as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” was also in attendance for this historical moment. To end the ceremony, attendees at the event sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem.
- With the passing of this bill, Biden brought up the “attack on voting laws,” that is happening in the U.S. He believes these laws are purposely aimed at minority groups and Democratic voters, to push the Republican agenda. Republicans for the new voting laws say they are focused on improving the voting system in the U.S. He also stated that work still needs to be done to fight against racial discrimination and providing minority groups with educational opportunities and affordable housing.
- Vice President Kamala Harris expressed that it’s time for younger generations to learn about the history of the U.S. This statement may be easier said than done, as Republican lawmakers are currently trying to pass bills removing critical race theory from school teachings. Critical race theory is “an area of academic inquiry that studies systemic racism, its institutional causes, and its lasting impact.” Republicans don’t want students learning that historically, white people are treated better than Black people and other POCs. With the removal of this, educators feel like they are being pigeon-holed with what they can and cannot discuss surrounding race and racism. Students of today will learn that Juneteenth is a holiday, but may never learn the reason behind it.
Juneteenth National Independence Day is the first new federal holiday established in the U.S. since Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in 1983. Since the holiday falls on a Saturday this year, most federal employees and businesses will observe the holiday today. Although more works need to be done, this is a major win for Black people in the U.S.
