June 19, 2021
Biden signs Juneteenth federal holiday after decades of Black advocacy
Decades of Black advocacy finally recognized when enslaved people learned freedom
✊Civil Rights📚Historical Precedent
President Biden signed Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on Jun. 17, 2021
Decades of organizing led by Rep. 
Sheila Jackson Lee and activist 
Opal Lee finally achieved federal recognition
94-year-old Opal Lee led sustained grassroots activism for federal holiday recognition
Juneteenth recognizes when enslaved people actually learned they were free on Jun. 19, 1865
This was the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day 38 years earlier
George Floyd's murder created political momentum that decades of polite requests couldn't achieve
2.1 million federal workers now receive paid time off, providing concrete material benefits
✊Civil Rights📚Historical Precedent
Test Your Knowledge
10
Q1
What powerful moment occurred when Biden signed the Juneteenth federal holiday bill?
Q2
When did President Biden sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law?
Q3
What is the name of the 98-year-old activist Biden called the "grandmother of Juneteenth"?
Q4
What makes Opal Lee's advocacy story particularly inspiring?
Q5
Opal Lee received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.
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