WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen attended the 1st annual Juneteenth Jubilee Breakfast hosted by the Las Vegas branch of the NAACP. The event, commemorating June 19th – the anniversary of the emancipation of African American slaves in the Southern United States – follows the recent establishment of Juneteenth National Independence Day as a Federal holiday.
“Juneteenth is a day to recognize and commemorate an important turning point in American History,” said Senator Rosen. “On June 19, 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the news of freedom finally reached all corners of our country. On that day in 1865, the last group of enslaved people in Texas learned they were finally free, marking the end of slavery in the South. Unfortunately, this important moment in our history is often not taught or treated with the reverence and appreciation it so rightfully deserves. I was proud to join the Las Vegas NAACP in recognition of this important date. I was also proud to co-sponsor bipartisan legislation, which has recently been signed into law, establishing Juneteenth as a Federal holiday. And, I will continue to stand side-by-side with those working to overcome systemic racism to create a country where all Americans are considered truly equal.”
BACKGROUND: Earlier this week, the United States Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation – which Senator Rosen co-sponsored – to establish Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday. The United States House of Representatives passed the bill the following day, and President Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021.
Last year, Rosen joined Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in introducing a bipartisan resolution – that passed the Senate – to commemorate Juneteenth as a date of historical significance, marking the anniversary of the end of slavery in the South. Rosen co-led similar bipartisan legislation in 2019.
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