Make June 19th a National Holiday. Juneteenth, the 19th day of June each year, is celebrated as the day that news of the end of American slavery reached the entire US. This date set the country on its path to achieving its promise of life, liberty and justice for all. This date should be paired with the 4th of July as one of America's most important holidays.
Why does this matter?
Juneteenth is “the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.. It has always been both a day of remembrance and an opportunity for African-Americans to honor their history and celebrate Black culture.” (source)
As of 2020, 47 states and the District of Columbia have all passed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as either a state holiday or day of observance (Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states that do not recognize the holiday) (source)
Texas was the only state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday, until New York and Virginia announced recently they were making it a paid holiday for their employees
Private organizations such as Nike, the NFL, Target, Twitter and Lyft have made similar moves to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday, as a permanent paid holiday (source)
How can we tackle this?
Reach out to your elected officials about passing The Juneteenth National Independence Act, using our step-by-step guide. The Senate version of this bill has attracted 50 bipartisan co-sponsors, but is awaiting a potential vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee (source)
Engage on social channels and in The Forum; add ideas, comments, and facts, to help us get to the best outcome