• US President Joe Biden has signed legislation — Juneteenth National Independence Day Act — establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

• The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act designates Juneteenth (June 19) National Independence Day as a legal public holiday.

• The Bill was passed overwhelmingly by the US House of Representatives after clearing the Senate unanimously.

What is the significance of Juneteenth?

• Juneteenth, a portmanteau of June and 19th, is also known as Emancipation Day.

• European colonists first forcibly brought enslaved Africans by ship to the British colonies that became the United States in the 1600s.

• While the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 formally ended slavery, the abhorrent practice continued until the end of the Civil War on April 9, 1865. 

• On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. 

• Juneteenth commemorates this important day.

• Juneteenth rose to wider national prominence in 2020 following the protests over racial injustice in the US and elsewhere.

• Biden, who was elected in November last year, has pledged to address racial inequality and gaps in wealth and education.

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