Republicans and Democrats in the United States said “yes” to the bill that declares a federal holiday June 19 (Juneteenth) honoring the release of the last slaves in Texas in 1965 on Wednesday (16/6).
President Biden is expected to sign the bill this afternoon in the White House.
“This day represents freedom”, said the Democratic MP Sila Jackson Lee, one of the MPs who had brought the bill to a vote, as broadcast by the Athens News Agency.
The House of Representatives passed the text by 415 votes to 14, with the support of both Democrats and Republicans.
On Tuesday, the bill was approved by the Senate.
In front of the photo of a black man, with his back torn from the whipping, Sila Jackson Lee, an African-American, spoke in the semicircle about the “long journey” it took for the USA in the passage of this bill.
“But here we are today, free to vote for the declaration of the Juneteenth National Anniversary of Independence, a federal holiday for America.”, he added.
“Recognizing and correcting the mistakes of the past is important for us to move forward,” said Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who co-sponsored the bill with Jackson Lee.
These two lawmakers represent Texas in Congress. In this huge US state the last slaves, learned on June 19, 1965 that they are now free.
US President Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves two and a half years earlier, signing the Declaration of Independence on January 1, 1963.
But during the US Civil War (1861-1865) slavery continued to exist in the southern states.
Confederate Army Chief Robert Lee signed his surrender on April 9, 1865. It took two months for the news to arrive in the small Texas town of Galveston on June 19.
Juneteenth is already a public holiday in some states, such as Texas, but so far it has not been declared a federal holiday.
Calls for this have increased since the death of George Floyd, an African-American man killed by a white police officer on May 15, 2020.
“June 19” reminds us of a history tainted by violence and injustice and reminds us of our responsibility to create a future where everyone can progress, which honors the ideal of equality, “said the Democratic House Speaker. Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
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