Pages

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Juneteenth!


President Joe Biden signed the law that officially made Juneteenth a federal holiday.

In the United States, Juneteenth is on June 19. Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.

Mind you, the far right hates King Day and holidays that don't honor white supremacy. 

Charlie Kirk was keen on that. Republicans are pushing to name monuments and tributes to the 45th U.S. President, a convicted felon.

The holiday's name is a portmanteau of the words "June" and "nineteenth", as it was on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War. Although this date commemorates enslaved people learning of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation, this only applied to former Confederate states. There remained legally enslaved people in states that never seceded from the Union. These people did not gain their freedom until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 6, 1865.

The far right hate Juneteenth because the holiday is the official Independence Day for Black Americans who were descendants of slavery. Biden made it possible.

Former president Donald J. Trump couldn't do it during his term. And yes, he did consider it but his base opposed it and of course, white nationalists hate political correctness [when it doesn't suit their agenda].

Most companies are still operating as normal. There is a push for companies to recognize this a federal holiday to celebrate with time off.

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff celebrate Juneteenth at the White House this past Saturday.

Biden issued a statement in regards to Juneteenth.

"One of my proudest moments as President was signing into law Juneteenth as a new Federal holiday — the first Federal holiday to be established since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day four decades prior.  Juneteenth is an acknowledgment of the truth of our Nation’s history.  It is about realizing the idea that America was founded on:  All people are created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives.  It is about the generations of brave Black leaders and selfless activists who never let us walk away from that idea, including Ms. Opal Lee, whom I awarded the Medal of Freedom for her work as the grandmother of Juneteenth, and former State Representative Al Edwards, who authored the bill to designate it a holiday in Texas."

"My Administration is working to ensure we continue to deliver on that idea — creating a country that truly stands for freedom, justice, dignity, and opportunity for all.  Today, record numbers of Black Americans have jobs and health insurance, and Black business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in over 30 years.  We are investing more money than ever in Black families and communities.  That includes the funding we are delivering to support predominantly Black neighborhoods that had been divided and left behind by segregation and racial discrimination, the checks we delivered that reduced Black child poverty to the lowest rate in history, the changes we have made to the appraisals process to root out biases that put Black homeowners at a disadvantage, and the over $16 billion investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities so that we can ensure the next generation of Black leaders has equal opportunities for a quality education and pathways for economic mobility.  We are working to rebuild and strengthen all of America by removing every lead pipe across our country, delivering affordable high-speed internet, forgiving $167 billion in student loan debt, and creating good-paying jobs that you can raise a family on.  We are creating a new sense of pride and dignity in communities across the country."

No comments:

Post a Comment