Congress just voted to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Here's why the campaign took decades.
Juneteenth was a holiday in 47 states for years and for over 40 years in Texas where it started.
- This week Congress passed a Juneteenth bill, leaving just the president's signature to make the federal holiday official
- Attempts to make it a permanent federal holiday have been repeatedly shut down by political debates
To many Black Americans, Juneteenth holds far more historical and cultural significance than other official holidays. Often called Emancipation Day, or Freedom Day, Juneteenth is a symbol of both generational trauma and progress in America from its long history of slavery.
Although 47 states and the District of Columbia already recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday, efforts at federal recognition have stalled in Congress year after year, until now.
After years of pushback from Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, who "objected to the cost and lack of debate," the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act gained bipartisan support, with over 50 co-sponsors of the bill in Congress.
On Tuesday the bill passed unanimously in the Senate and again in the House vote 415-14 on Wednesday. The bill now awaits President Joe Biden's signature.
While momentum for the holiday grew in the last year of racial unrest, the campaign for Juneteenth to be a federal holiday is nothing new.
Simple process with complicated politics
Currently, there are 10 paid holidays for federal employees. These permanent holidays came about through a mix of years (sometimes decades) of petitioning by congress members and one-time executive orders that were eventually signed into law.
Only four have been added to the federal calendar in the past 100 years, the last being Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
Senator Johnson, and many other opponents' opposition to the bill, pinpoint the cost of creating a federal holiday.
"While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter," Johnson said in a statement on Tuesday.
But history suggests that they depend more on the amount of political pressure, convenience, and willpower than the philosophy behind them.
For example, Labor Day was only given federal holiday status as an election-year compromise from President Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s, after a series of union-led strikes threatened to undermine his presidency.
By then the holiday was already recognized in several states and had nationwide support from workers.
Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was recognized by states almost immediately after the Civil Rights leader's assassination.
John Conyers, a former Democratic Congressman from Michigan, lobbied Congress for 15 years before the bill was passed. Columbus Day was implemented by President Roosevelt to stem the rise of anti-Italian immigrant sentiments in the country at the time.
While political debates and bureaucracy can make federal holiday proposals difficult, the technical process to institute them is fairly straightforward.
Anyone can make a petition and gather signatures or connect with their local congressperson to write a bill adding the celebration to the federal calendar.
With enough support the bill is submitted before Congress and is either passed or voted down. The president can also declare a one-time holiday by executive order, although the White House hasn't indicated whether President Biden will do so.
More recently, petitions for new federal holidays were submitted through the White House administration's 'We the People' site.
In recent years the site has become clogged with a backlog of thousands of proposals for new national holidays and requests to dismiss or change existing ones. The site was temporarily suspended under the Trump administration and now redirects to the main White House website.
Opal Lee, also known as Fort Worth's "Grandmother of Juneteenth", is a 94-year old activist who has been lobbying for the national holiday since 2016.
After witnessing the growth of the celebrations in Texas and it's spread to other states, Lee was inspired by the unity and reconciliation that Juneteenth signified in her community and joined the growing number of advocacy groups bringing it to the national stage.
After hearing of the bill's passage in the Senate, Lee told Insider she was ecstatic and hopeful that the bill would pass quickly through the House vote.
"I'm glued to the set," she said. "It's gonna be a wonderful way to work together to get rid of the disparities that are keeping us from being free. Joblessness, homelessness, healthcare, schools that need to tell the truth..I'm looking forward to it."
Lee, a former teacher and prominent organizer of Juneteenth events in Texas, has been vocal about using Juneteenth celebrations as an opportunity to educate communities about Black history and spark deeper conversations about social justice and equity.
When asked why recognition of Juneteenth is so important now after over a year of nationwide protests, Lee said, "We want those people who are protesting to join us in making this a better United States. I believe if they see that this bill passes that they understand that there's hope in getting rid of disparities. Working together I'm sure that we can erase them."
Several other advocacy groups, lawmakers and nonprofit organizations have lobbied Congress for years to make Juneteenth happen. Along with local planning groups, The National Juneteenth Observance Foundation has been advocating since the early 90s.
Costs implications of federal holidays
Though there have been several presidential proclamations honoring Juneteenth, its absence from the official federal calendar means that these homages are mostly symbolic.
The National Taxpayers' Union Foundation, a nonprofit and nonpartisan group, estimates that it would cost American taxpayers $918 million a year to approve the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.
Then there are the federal employees - like TSA agents and secret service - who still work on the day."They are eligible for premium pay which in the past has been roughly 7 percent of the base holiday pay," Demian Brady, Vice President of Research at the NTUF told Insider.
While a benefit to workers, the cost to American taxpayers is often one of the biggest hurdles to jump in Congressional budget negotiations.
The NTUF used payroll data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and calculated the cost in wages the additional day that federal workers are paid but do not have to work. The cost per day of the federal civilian workforce (excluding the Postal Service) is $858 million.
Proponents of the Juneteenth bill, however, counter that the costs to taxpayers would be offset by the boost to the economy that holidays usually generate through tourism and increased consumer spending from retail sales.
"Under normal conditions, a new holiday weekend in June would spur 46 million Americans to travel, which would generate $17.4 billion in travel spending-directly supporting 143,000 jobs and producing $2.7 billion in government tax revenue," Tori Barnes, U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy said in a press release.
Besides costs, arguments against the bill have focused on conflicting proposals to replace an existing holiday, like Columbus Day, with Juneteenth.
Why federal recognition is so important
As debates about systemic racism continue to take center stage, there is a heightened awareness of Juneteenth and how other symbols of American culture reflect the darker sides of the nation's history.
The ongoing debates about the utility and meaning of existing holidays, like Columbus Day and Thanksgiving, have drawn attention to how holidays aren't just about money. Barnes added they are markers of identity and culture.
"In the end, it's about appreciating our shared history and collective future, while furthering our commitment to listen, to educate, and to engage in necessary conversations," she said.