Senate Approved Juneteenth As New Federal Holiday Unanimously

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill to make Juneteenth a legally recognized national holiday in the United States.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) brought the bill up for a vote earlier this week. The bill passed through the upper chamber without a single objection – all lawmakers voted in favor of making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

I just put a bill on the floor of the Senate from @SenMarkey and @SenTinaSmith to make #Juneteenth a federal holiday.

It passed the Senate!

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Next up: It should pass the House. Then to President Biden’s desk for signature.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 15, 2021

Schumer commented after the passing of the bill, “Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a major step forward to recognize the wrongs of the past.”

The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and cosponsored by 60 other senators, a group containing a mix of Democrats and Republicans. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, the day the last 250,000 Texan slaves had finally gained their freedom.

WATCH: The Senate unanimously passes a bill establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday. The bill now heads to the House. https://t.co/d4QlSgRK0L pic.twitter.com/coJO0k881P

— ABC News (@ABC) June 15, 2021

Backlash quickly materialized on social media regarding a federally recognized holiday. Many critics claim passing the bill is just a distraction from addressing the other racial injustices.

https://twitter.com/Ryan_Ken_Acts/status/1404987836906999810?s=20

Schumer replied to the social media critics by tweeting, “But we must continue to work to ensure equal justice and fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation and our Constitution.”