ORLANDO, FLA. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — On June 17th, 2021, President Biden signed a bill officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday. It’s the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was added. Besides now being a new day federal employees have as paid time off, what do people really know about the origins of it.
The 13th amendment to abolished slavery was passed by congress in January 1865, but it took until June of that year before union forces reached Texas to enforce the end of slavery there. Texas was the last confederate state to still allow slavery.
Now what date is Juneteenth observed?
Juneteenth is observed on June 19th. That is where it gets its name — a combination of June and nineteenth. Since June 19th Falls on a Sunday this year, most federal employees will get Monday, June 20th off. But how do you celebrate it? Celebrate by buying from black-owned businesses, supporting and volunteering at community organizations that work to defend civil rights, and educate yourself on racial issues that persist within the country.
Even though Texas was the last state to end slavery, it was the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday in 1890.
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Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer and Editor.
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