By: Executive Tea Staff

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) announced Thursday that Senate Democrats will be proposing a measure to make Juneteenth a national holiday! Harris made the announcement during an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid, sharing, “Together with my colleagues Cory Booker, Tina Smith and Ed Markey, we are proposing that Juneteenth be a national holiday. And we are dropping that bill saying that Juneteenth should be a national holiday,”

Senator John Coryn (R-TX) has also committed to proposing a measure to make Juneteenth a national holiday. “Over the last several weeks, Americans of all races and backgrounds, of all ages, have raised their voice in the fight against inequality and injustice that continues to exist in our society,” Cornyn said in a statement.

“As the list of black men and women killed by police officers in custody grows, the calls for action are getting louder and louder, as they must, and as they should. There is a clear and urgent need for leaders at every level to come together, and to deliver the change that we need to deliver, in order to match up with our ideals,” he stated.

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, marks the day that Texas slaves were finally freed in 1865 - two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Juneteenth represents the resilience of the Black community and reminds us that the saying “We ain’t free till we all free”, will always ring true.