Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law

President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021, establishing June 19 as the twelfth federal public holiday, effective immediately. The Senate passed the bill unanimously and the House voted 415-14. The law commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of slavery — more than two months after the Confederacy surrendered. Black activists and community organizations had campaigned for federal recognition for more than four decades.