Republican Senator John Cornyn wants to make June 19th-Juneteenth a federal holiday.
So what is Juneteenth? It commemorates the end of slavery.
On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all of the slaves in Confederate territory.
Slaves in Texas didn’t learn about becoming free for two and a half years.
It happened on what is now June 19th.
Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday. https://t.co/mmNH9fFE7q
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) June 19, 2020
Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the US. And it should be recognized as a federal holiday. @SenMarkey, @SenBooker, @SenKamalaHarris and I are introducing a bill to make this happen. More to come.
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) June 18, 2020
