President Biden Signs Bill Creating Federal Juneteenth Holiday

Juneteenth, celebrated June 19th, is the date when the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas finally learned they were free following the Civil War.

Congress has passed resolutions commemorating Juneteenth for decades, but the day will take on new significance this year after becoming a federal holiday.  It's the day, celebrated on June 19th, when many of the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas finally learned they were free following the Civil War. “Abraham Lincoln sat down and wrote the Emancipation Proclamation to be effective January 1, 1863,” explained House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, at an engrossment ceremony for the bill.