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Juneteenth coincides with when enslaved Texas learn that they have been set free under the Emancipation Proclamation. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum via AP Hide caption
Toggle caption Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum via AP
Juneteenth coincides with when enslaved Texas learn that they have been set free under the Emancipation Proclamation.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum via AP
The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, the date that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, a public holiday.
The holiday is celebrated on June 19, and began in 1865 when enslaved Texas learned they had been set free under the Emancipation Proclamation.
President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation outlawing slavery years earlier, but those who were enslaved in Texas were not released until 1865.
The measure is expected to be approved by the Democratic-led House of Representatives as well, but the timing is unclear.
“Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a huge step forward in acknowledging the mistakes of the past,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, said in a statement, “but we must continue to work to ensure equal justice and fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation and our Constitution.”
Recognition of Juneteenth as a legal holiday comes amid a broader national account about the race and racism that helped shape America.
Academic calls for more rigorous examination of the lens through which race has shaped public life, including in the economy and the justice system, have drawn a backlash from some Republican lawmakers who say this view unfairly offends whites and overestimates how important it is. Racism for the American Society.
Republican legislation has advanced to limit the teaching of a historically accurate picture of US history in public institutions in about six states. Educators cautioned that these efforts limit their ability to deal critically with their students at a time when much national conversation is taking place around issues arising from race.
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