Republican Sen. John Cornyn wants to make Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery, a federal holiday.
The Texas lawmaker announced Thursday that he would introduce a bill to designate the day, celebrated on June 19 each year, a government holiday.
“One of the most defining days in our nation’s history was when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, finally freeing all slaves in Confederate territory. But slaves in Texas wouldn’t learn this life-altering news for two and a half years,” Cornyn said in a floor speech.
“It took two and a half years for the slaves in the South to learn that they were free,” he said. “And that day came on a day we now celebrate as Juneteenth.”
The day has gained more attention amid national unrest over racial injustice after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white police officer put a knee on his neck for more than eight minutes. Most states already mark Juneteenth as a state holiday or observance.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, also introduced a measure this week to recognize the holiday.
