Let Freedom Ring: Senate Recognized Juneteenth as a National Holiday

Let freedom ring for Juneteenth!

In the pursuit of pushing toward equality and recognizing wrongful events in American history, the Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make June 19, or “Juneteenth” a national holiday.

Juneteenth "Jubilee Day": The day freedom was finally granted.

June 19, 1865 is known as “Juneteenth”, because it is the day that the last enslaved African Americans learned they were finally free. While the Union technically won the Civil War in April of 1865 when the Confederates surrendered, word didn’t spread to African Americans in Texas until Union soldiers came to Galveston on June 19 to ensure that every slave was free. This was two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Why it's one of the most significant days in American history.

Juneteenth serves as a reminder of the ways in which African Americans suffered throughout American history, and an acknowledgment that they deserved to be free all along and never should have had to endure enslavement.

In the past few years, Juneteenth has become an extremely important rallying cry for Black Americans who are fighting for change in the country, following the events of the killing of George Floyd and several other Black people.

Declaring Juneteenth as a national holiday continues the efforts to fight for change and recognize the wrongs of the past. The measure is also in line with public opinion after a recent Gallup Poll revealed that most Americans are in favor of making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

This day is a reminder of why we do what we do.

Juneteenth serves as a reminder that no one should ever be stripped of their freedom. Every single human—regardless of race, orientation, education, social status, or personal wealth—should have access to justice, liberty and security.

At LegalShield, this notion is the core of our purpose—the reason we do what we do. Our vision is to continue building a future where everyone has access to these things, and we’ve made it our mission to protect and empower people with the tools and services needed to do so.

We will continue commemorating this significant day and continue the fight for equal access to the rights every human deserves.