The Real History of “Juneteenth” and Emancipation
Just two days before the anniversary date, President Joe Biden signed legislation making the observation of Juneteenth (June 19) yet another federal holiday, with paid time off for federal workers, effective immediately. The new holiday — officially called Juneteenth National Independence Day — was passed by the House of Representatives with only 14 dissenting votes, and in the Senate by a voice vote. It purports to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
While Biden signed the bill, it seemed that Vice President Kamala Harris — who has some black African ancestry from her father, who was a citizen of Jamaica — was the central figure in the signing ceremony. “As we establish Juneteenth as our newest national holiday, let us be clear about what happened on June 19, 1865, the day we call Juneteenth. They [slaves in Galveston, Texas] learned they were free.”
Biden added that the day was “a day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country, and continues to take.” He argued that great nations “don’t ignore their most painful moments. We come to terms with the mistakes we’ve made,” and this causes healing.
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