📰 NEW: President @JoeBiden Writes Op-ed Commemorating Juneteenth
“I’ve always believed that we need to be honest about our history, especially in the face of ongoing efforts to erase it. Darkness can hide much, but it erases nothing. Only with truth can come healing, justice, and repair.”
By Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
46th President of the United States: 2021—2025
The people of Galveston, Texas, have been commemorating Juneteenth since the Civil War ended. Yesterday, in honor of the 160th anniversary, I went there to join them.
You can read about the events of Juneteenth, but there’s nothing quite like going to Galveston and seeing where it all happened.
After General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, Union troops marched across the South for two months, freeing enslaved people along the way. Their final stop was Galveston, an island off the Gulf coast of Texas. There, on June 19, 1865, Union troops went to Reedy Chapel, a church founded in 1848 by enslaved people, and posted a document titled simply “General Order #3.”
“The people of Texas are informed,” it said, “that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
We can only imagine the joy that spread through Galveston – and across the state and nation – on that day and those that followed.
Yesterday, there was once again joy in Galveston, with a parade, picnic, and fireworks. There was also great solemnity, because Juneteenth is a sacred day – a day of weight and power.
The Book of Psalms tells us: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation, and the promise of that joyful morning to come.
As President, I had the great honor of signing the law declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday. It was our nation’s first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was created in 1983.
Our federal holidays say a lot about who we are as a nation. We have holidays celebrating our independence… the laborers who build this nation… the servicemembers who served and died in its defense.
And now, we also have a national holiday dedicated to the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
Signing that law was one of my proudest acts as President.
Yet for 156 years, Juneteenth was not written about in textbooks or taught in classrooms. Still today, there are those who say it does not deserve a holiday. They don’t want to remember the moral stain of slavery and the terrible harm it did to our country.
I’ve always believed that we need to be honest about our history, especially in the face of ongoing efforts to erase it. Darkness can hide much, but it erases nothing. Only with truth can come healing, justice, and repair.
We asked Sen Katie Britt if she’d vote NO on Trump’s budget that shreds Medicaid, SNAP, and student debt relief—and makes college a rich kid’s playground.
She said nothing. Just blinked. 😐
Maybe her talking points don’t load without Wi-Fi.
#DontKillOurMedicaid
Not surprising that a bill taking away health care and raising grocery costs for millions to give tax breaks to the wealthy is unpopular. Americans see it for what it is: a Big Beautiful Betrayal.
@TheFungi669 I’m sure your grandparents or great great grandparents immigrated from Europe, because there were no white peoples here when the native Indians were here first.
You babbling idiot
I worry that ICE will deport my Latino neighbor who voted for Trump.
I worry that that they’ll raid his home at 683 Chestnut Street in San Jose when he gets home from work at 6:00pm.
After decades of mismanagement, Illinois is balancing our budgets, and the results are clear.
Our pension funded ratio is improving.
Our Rainy Day Fund is at record highs.
Our credit upgrades have taken us to A-level ratings.
We're not resting on our laurels, though.
@Angeleyz4ever@WUTangKids@VinceWilsonShow The executive branch is headed by the president, who is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the nation are faithfully executed.
@Angeleyz4ever@WUTangKids@VinceWilsonShow Here you go, fuckface
The primary duty of the executive branch of government is to enforce and administer the laws passed by the legislative branch. This involves overseeing the implementation of laws, managing government agencies, and conducting foreign policy.
@mmpadellan You know that orange Jesus motherfucker won’t say anything about Presidents’ Day. He’ll just try to say that Presidents’ Day should be named after him.
Funny how motherfuckers start talking about "too many non-working holidays" the minute we start celebrating the end of slavery in one of those holidays.
The blatant bigotry is mind-blowing.
Workers deserve MORE holidays and higher pay.
Make THAT change, asshole.