The House voted 415-14 to make Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal holiday, according to The Associated Press.
The day marking the end of slavery in Texas, which completed national emancipation, is the first new federal holiday created by Congress since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr.
Juneteenth commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free, the AP reported.
“Juneteenth is a recognition that darkness can come to light, that there is a celebration as my forefathers and mothers struggled to endure the horror they experienced,” Rep.
Rep.
Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., who opposed the measure, said the bill was an effort by “the left” to “make Americans feel bad and convince them that our country is evil,” the Times reported.
Markey, D-Mass., led the push for the federal holiday in the Senate, the Post reported.
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