Memphis Standard

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) will celebrate Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday on Monday, June 19. Juneteenth recognizes the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved Texans that “all slaves are free” and that the Civil War had ended. The emancipated residents of Galveston celebrated that day and, over the years, its popularity as a holiday spread across the country and became an annual tradition.

In June of 2021, Congress passed a resolution Congressman Cohen co-sponsored to establish the federal holiday. President Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021, and Juneteenth was first celebrated as a federal holiday the next day. This is the second full year that Juneteenth will appear on all our calendars as a federal holiday.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“I have long celebrated Juneteenth and the historic anniversary it commemorates. I am very pleased to see it is on our calendars as a national holiday. I was proud to cosponsor the measure which, like the apology for slavery and Jim Crow Era discrimination I introduced and passed in 2008, sends an important message about facing the sometimes-unpleasant truths of our history and celebrating our steps towards freedom and progress. This is an inspiring new federal holiday and I hope all will enjoy it.”

Original source can be found here.