Bill to make Juneteenth a holiday moves to governor's desk
ABC News
Juneteenth is on its way to becoming an official holiday in Connecticut.
Connecticut is on the path to becoming the latest state to officially recognize Juneteenth, the day the last enslaved Black people in Texas were freed with the arrival of federal troops in 1865 -- almost two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Black state legislators gave impassioned speeches Wednesday about the importance of June 19 as a cultural holiday for Black Americans before the bill's almost-unanimous passage from the state House and Senate.
"This bill is about a holiday but it's a lot more than that," said Rep. Anthony Nolan. The legislation, he said, represents "freedom for Black people that has been delayed."
The bill passed in the House 148-1 and the Senate 30-1. The bill is now headed to Gov. Ned Lamont's desk.