Juneteenth becomes a National Holiday

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Juneteenth was made a federal holiday, Thursday. It’s the first federal holiday to be approved since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created. This will be the 12th federal holiday.

The holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

“Our federal holidays are purposely few in number and recognize the most important milestones,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. “I cannot think of a more important milestone to commemorate than the end of slavery in the United States.”

“I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another,” President Joe Biden said.

Even though Juneteenth just became a federal holiday, many families have been celebrating it for years.

“Even though now it is a federal holiday, I have been celebrating this with my family ever since I was born, so it’s always been a holiday for us,” said Kimberly Gay, Head of Reference and Information Services, Academic Librarian at Prairie View A&M.

The House voted 415-14 to send the bill to the President and the Senate approved the bill unanimously.

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