Lawmakers send Juneteenth bill to Gov. Pritzker, marking day as annual state holiday
The Illinois House unanimously approved a bill making Juneteenth a holiday in Illinois, and it now awaits the governor’s signature.
Senate Bill 1965 would make June 19 an annual state holiday to commemorate the day the last slaves in the United States learned they were free — over two years after President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
“It marks the date when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure all enslaved people be free,” said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago.
State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield said, “I think this is important that we recognize Juneteenth. It’s certainly an important part of the history of the United States and something I think we need to recognize more.”
Read more: https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/politics/government/2021/05/27/illinois-politics-state-general-assembly-approves-juneteenth-bill/7477502002/
(Springfield State Journal Register)