Juneteenth may finally get its due from Congress
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) on Tuesday announced he will no longer obstruct efforts to make Juneteenth a federal holiday — and with that, the United States' second, fuller Independence Day may finally receive the official recognition long overdue. A bipartisan bill to thus recognize the day could pass the Senate by unanimous consent as soon as this week, ahead of the day's celebration on Saturday, and it is expected to easily clear the House as well.
Johnson's erstwhile objection was the financial cost to taxpayers of giving federal employees another annual day of paid leave. I'm as critical of federal spending as any, but if we're going to have federal holidays (and obviously we are), Juneteenth should make the cut.
It marks the day in 1865 when news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Texas, the day freedom long denied was finally realized, at least in significant part. It is a complement of the independence celebrations of July 4 and a moment — to borrow the phrase of Frederick Douglass in 1852 — for the "conscience of the nation [to] be roused."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Despite this deep import, however, Juneteenth was unknown to many white Americans until relatively recently. (I first learned of it in 2016, well past childhood.) Its neglect on the federal calendar is surely part of that ignorance, because federal holidays are mimicked on business and school schedules. Without federal recognition, Juneteenth may continue to languish in the national subconscious.
"Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country," Douglass said in the speech quoted above. "There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery," he predicted, and he was right. His hope may be right, too, and federal recognition of Juneteenth is a good, if small, way to reify it.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacation
The Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens safer
The Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is the Supreme Court about to criminalize homelessness?
Talking Points The court will decide if bans on outdoor camping are 'cruel and unusual'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
It's not really about Biden's brain — unless it is
Talking Points Depending on who you ask, the renewed focus on the president's mental acuity is an election-year distraction, a legitimate point of concern, and sometimes both
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The politics of music: should political rallies use well-known songs?
Talking Point The Smiths star Johnny Marr is latest musician to object to use of his music at a Donald Trump rally
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published