A Senator from Texas wants to create a new national holiday out of an old tradition: celebrating Emancipation on a day called Juneteenth.
It is a holiday still unfamiliar to many Americans. I explain its roots here:
“America’s birthday is fast approaching. But let’s not wait for July 4th to light the fireworks. There is another Independence Day on the horizon.
Juneteenth falls on June 19 each year. It is a holiday whose history was hidden for much of the last century. But as the nation now observes the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s onset, it is a holiday worth recognizing.”
