© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

House Passes A Bill To Commemorate Juneteenth As A Federal Holiday

A girl paints on a poster celebrating Juneteenth in downtown Jackson, Miss., on June 19, 2020. Congress has voted to make the day a federal holiday.
Rogelio V. Solis
/
AP
A girl paints on a poster celebrating Juneteenth in downtown Jackson, Miss., on June 19, 2020. Congress has voted to make the day a federal holiday.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives on Wednesday easily approved legislation to commemorate Juneteenth, the national remembrance of the end of chattel slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday.

The 415-14 House vote follows Tuesday's unanimous approval in the Senate to federally recognize the holiday. All 14 no votes in the House came from Republicans. The bill now heads to President Biden's desk.

June 19 marks the 1865 date that people who were enslaved in Texas were freed under the Emancipation Proclamation.

President Abraham Lincoln had actually signed the measure outlawing slavery in Confederate states more than two and a half years earlier, but it was not until 1865 that those remaining in bondage in Texas attained their freedom.

Speaking ahead of the vote, several House Republicans voiced clear support for the holiday but raised issues with the legislative process, as the bill bypassed committees and was brought directly to the floor.

Juneteenth celebrations have grown in popularity in recent years, as the national conversation has shifted to more critically examine the role of enslaved Black people in building the country's physical and economic infrastructure, as well as how racism against Blacks and other minorities has been foundational to American society.

That cultural shift has attracted more than a few critics.

Many social conservatives have dismissed recent attempts to reframe the story of America's creation as divisive and evident of what they say is progressives' preoccupation with race.

In recent weeks, Republican legislatures in more than a dozen states have either adopted or advanced bills taking aim at efforts to update curriculum to better fit modern understandings of race and racism.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Alana Wise joined WAMU in September 2018 as the 2018-2020 Audion Reporting Fellow for Guns & America. Selected as one of 10 recipients nationwide of the Audion Reporting Fellowship, Alana works in the WAMU newsroom as part of a national reporting project and is spending two years focusing on the impact of guns in the Washington region.
Alana Wise
Alana Wise is a politics reporter on the Washington desk at NPR.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content