Juneteenth went on a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States

President Joe Biden has signed legislation to make Juneteenth, the day that marks the end of US slavery, a federal holiday.

Biden held a signing ceremony at the White House on Thursday evening, following a bill named on June 19, when a new federal holiday was passed with the full support of the House and Senate party.

“Great nations do not neglect their most painful moments. They embrace them, ”Biden said in notes before signing.

“Big nations are not leaving,” he added. “We agree with the mistakes we made and start healing by remembering those moments.”

Juneteenth, Martin Luther King Jr. the first new federal holiday in 1983 since the day’s birthday will be a total of 11. Non-essential government offices are closed and paid days off for federal employees federal holidays, which is also often recognized by private entrepreneurs.

Juneteenth, words taken from June 19, recalls the date of 1865, two months after Union troops announced the liberation of Texas slaves two months after the end of the U.S. Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves free, more than two years earlier.

The memories originated in Texas, but eventually spread to U.S. states. The date was taken by the American corporation in connection with the murder George Floyd, black, made by a Minneapolis police officer last year.

“With this step Congress ensures that one of the most important events in our history, especially black Americans, is officially recognized 150 years ago and is recorded in our history books and takes a place of honor in our nation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday before voting in the lower house. .

The Juneteenth bill passed the Democrat-controlled house on Wednesday with a 415-14 vote after it was approved by the Senate using a unanimously agreed-upon procedure, which is unimpeded by any senator. It will become law when the President signs it.

All 14 House members who opposed the legislation were Republicans, including Mo Brooks of Alabama, Chip Roy of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

The law comes at a time when lawmakers are still debating about federals police reform The legislation was written shortly after Floyd was assassinated in May 2020.

Biden asked Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act before the first anniversary of Floyd’s death. But lawmakers missed the deadline because they had a long-standing disagreement over qualified immunity, a legal principle that protects police from responsibility for the actions they take in that job.

Tim Scott, a Republican senator from South Carolina, and Cory Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey – the only two black senators in the 100-member chamber – have led the negotiations and continue to stress that a deal can be made.