Wasserman Schultz Celebrates Juneteenth Federal Holiday
Juneteenth is not only a joyous celebration of Black America’s freedom, history and triumphs, it is also an opportunity to reflect on just how far as a nation we still must travel to bring liberty and justice to all.
Washington DC – On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers led by General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that all previously enslaved people were now free. This day came to be known and celebrated as ‘Juneteenth.’ Today, one day after Joe Biden signed into law a bill making June 19th a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) issued the following statement:
“Juneteenth is not only a joyous celebration of Black America’s freedom, history and triumphs, it is also an opportunity to reflect on just how far as a nation we still must travel to bring liberty and justice to all. This commemoration comes at a tenuous time in America, as it also marks one year since the largest civil rights marches in half a century following the murder of George Floyd. While one of the officers responsible for Floyd’s death has since been convicted, not nearly enough has been done to end systemic police brutality and reform the criminal justice system.
That must include federal police reforms, but it must also involve dismantling the racism embedded within all American institutions. Equally important, we must acknowledge that we are facing an unprecedented attack on voting rights and take Federal action to stop it. I’ve proudly cosponsored several bills, including H.R. 1 and H.R. 4, to establish federal protections and prevent institutional voter disenfranchisement. In addition to cosponsoring and authoring police reform and voting rights legislation, I proudly cosponsored and voted to pass Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s bill to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. I am proud that President Biden swiftly made this our 12th federal holiday, to mark the immense toll slavery took, and still exacts on our nation. Only through learning and understanding can we achieve peace and equality for every American.”