Juneteenth Becomes a National Holiday

    After several decades, Juneteenth, or Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, was declared a national holiday in 2021. On Thursday June 17th, 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it the first new federal holiday in nearly four decades. The bill passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday and was approved 415-14 in the House on Wednesday. Juneteenth  officially marks the end of slavery in the US, after June 19th 1865. Juneteenth would now receive the same recognition as other federal holidays like Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Many local leaders, government officials and community members all across America gathered to commemorate Juneteenth and celebrate its first year as a federal holiday. 

    The more recent discussion of Juneteenth and black emancipation sparked from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many other instances of police brutality. This is a major step forward for progress since Juneteenth has been overlooked by many non-Black Americans as well as excluded from the history books and discussions. And while this is a positive change, black Americans are still systemically oppressed, discriminated, and face racial wealth gaps, medical disparities, and mass incarceration. It is important to keep advocating for positive changes and progression, but it should not be substituted for major courses to action to diminish racial inequality and black oppression. As the 4th of July approaches, we must recognize that the Fourth of July honors freedom gained through the Declaration of Independence, while Juneteenth celebrates true, universal American freedom. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/juneteenth-day-federal-holiday-2021-11624032408

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/17/1007315228/juneteenth-what-is-origin-observation