President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday making Juneteenth National Independence Day America’s 12th federal holiday.
“I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another,” President Biden said.
The signing comes a day after the House of Representatives voted nearly unanimously to send the bill to Biden’s desk.
The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday under a unanimous consent agreement, which expedites the process for considering legislation.
It takes just one senator’s objection to block such agreements.
“When we establish a national holiday, it makes an important statement. National holidays are something important,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “These are days when we, as a nation, have decided to stop and take stock and often to acknowledge our history.”
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865. That’s when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. June 19, 1865 was also two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in Southern states.
“For more than two years, the enslaved people of Texas were kept in servitude. For more than two years, they were intentionally kept from their freedom. For more than two years,” Vice President Harris said. “And then on that summer day, 156 years ago, the enslaved people of Texas learned the news. They learned that they were free and they claimed their freedom.”
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management tweeted saying most federal employees will observe the new holiday on Friday, since June 19 falls on a Saturday this year.
For more on Juneteenth, check out Jimmie Johnson’s story here.
