TOPLINEMembers of Congress from both parties are proposing making Juneteenth, a day that celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., a federal holiday in the wake of protests across the country against racism and police brutality. Photo by Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty ImagesKEY FACTSDemocratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris and Republican Sen. John Coryn say they plan on introducing bills in Congress to officially recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Activists have been pushing the federal government and states to recognize Juneteenth since at least 2000 and 46 state governments have voted to observe the day in some form over the years, though only Texas has declared it an official state holiday. This week New York, Virginia, Oregon and Philadelphia announced they will also make Juneteenth an official holiday. Twitter, Google, General Motors, the Washington Post and New York Times and a growing list of major firms have made Juneteenth an official company holiday.

Source: Forbes June 19, 2020 00:22 UTC