Juneteenth became an official federal holiday when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021, after it was passed by the 117th U.S. Congress.

Quick Scoop

  • The law making Juneteenth a federal holiday is called the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, signed on June 17, 2021.
  • This made Juneteenth the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in the 1980s.
  • Activist Opal Lee, often called the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” spent decades campaigning to have Juneteenth recognized nationally and was present at the signing ceremony.

Who “made” it a holiday?

  • At the federal level, Congress passed the legislation and President Joe Biden signed it, formally creating the nationwide holiday.
  • At the state level, Texas was the first to make Juneteenth an official state holiday in 1980, led by State Representative Al Edwards, known as “Mr. Juneteenth.”

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