Black Americans who are descendants of slaves celebrated the news that Congress approved Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
However, Rep. Cori Bush, a member of “The Squad”, says that’s not enough.
On Wednesday, June 16, the House of Representatives approved a bill making Juneteenth, June 19, a federal holiday known as “National Independence Day.”
Bush, a Democrat, is also calling for monetary reparations and “Black liberation.”
“It’s Juneteenth AND reparations. It’s Juneteenth AND end police violence + the War on Drugs,” she tweeted on Wednesday night.
“It’s Juneteenth AND end housing + education apartheid. It’s Juneteenth AND teach the truth about white supremacy in our country. Black liberation in its totality must be prioritized.”
It’s Juneteenth AND reparations.
It’s Juneteenth AND end police violence + the War on Drugs.
It’s Juneteenth AND end housing + education apartheid.
It’s Juneteenth AND teach the truth about white supremacy in our country.
Black liberation in its totality must be prioritized.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) June 17, 2021
Fourteen Republicans voted against the measure for Juneteenth, saying another federal holiday will hurt small businesses financially.
Juneteenth is a holiday celebrating the day African-Americans learned they had been emancipated. The holiday originated in Galveston, Texas.
Juneteenth is recognized by 48 states and Washington DC. North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states that don’t recognize the holiday.
