Senate fast-tracks Juneteenth approval

On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill declaring June 19 a federal holiday. The House was expected to send it on to President Joe Biden’s desk later Wednesday. Juneteenth National Independence Day commemorates the day the last enslaved people in the United States learned of their emancipation. Almost every state already recognizes Juneteenth as a holiday or observance. Making it a federal holiday means it will be a paid day off for government employees.

Where did Juneteenth come from? On June 19, 1865, roughly two months after the end of the Civil War and several years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas, that all slaves were free.

Dig Deeper: Read Charissa Koh’s report in Compassion on how Christian leaders are working toward racial reconciliation.