U.S. Rep. Lawrence Votes in Favor of Legislation Making Juneteenth a National Holiday

Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Brenda L. Lawrence, 2nd Vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, voted to pass S. 475, Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. This bill establishes Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19, as a legal public holiday. June 19, 1865 marks the day when the last remaining enslaved African Americans, more than 250,000, in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom. This was nearly two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. 

“Today’s House passage of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act is monumental. For African Americans across the country, Juneteenth is a day of rejoicing and reflection,” said Rep. Lawrence. “While we celebrate this historic day and the end of slavery, it’s a reminder that we have more work to do to dismantle systemic racism. Juneteenth empowers us to fight harder each and every day for criminal justice reform, for racial equality, and for the economic empowerment of Black Americans everywhere.”