U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) joined a bipartisan group of almost 50 colleagues to unveil a proposal that would designate Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday.
“For 155 years, Juneteenth has marked the end of one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history,” Sen. Gardner said on June 23. “This day is a reminder of not only where we have come from but also how much farther we have to go. It’s time to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, and I am glad to join this bipartisan legislation in the United States Senate.”
Sen. Gardner on June 22 signed on as an original cosponsor of S. 4019 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), and 47 other cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
If enacted, S. 4019 would designate Juneteenth as a federal holiday that would officially celebrate June 19 — also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day — for the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
“Juneteenth is a time-honored tradition in Texas celebrating the news that all slaves were freed,” said Sen. Cornyn. “It’s an annual reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go to achieve the order of equality mentioned in General Granger’s General Order No. 3 in 1865.
“It’s past time we honor Juneteenth as a federal holiday so Americans across the nation can celebrate and recognize America’s long-fought path towards equality,” he added.