Moment US Congress votes to create ‘Juneteenth’ holiday marking end of slavery

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to make June 19, known as Juneteenth, a new federal holiday in the United States.

Juneteenth commemorates the day when the last enslaved Black Americans learned they were free in 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, but news of it didn’t reach Galveston, Texas – the last rebel state – until 1865.

After the 415-14 House vote, the bill is now sent to President Joe Biden’s desk, who is expected to sign it into law.

It’s the first new federal holiday to be introduced since 1983.