‘It will be signed by a president’: Texas legislators discuss HR 7232 to make Juneteenth national holiday

HOUSTON – Members of the Texas congressional delegation spoke Friday about legislation aimed at making Juneteenth a national holiday.

U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) led the event in Houston’s Independence Heights, saying it was a historic day.

“I believe that we are about to venture onto a historic moment for this nation and this is because there is more of a reckoning for what Juneteenth means,” Jackson Lee said.

Jackson Lee announced that she would introduce HR 7232 to Congress on Monday, which would aim to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday. The bill, she said, has the support of several members of Congress, including Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston).

“It will be signed by a president,” Jackson Lee said.

“Juneteeth represents the promise of equality, opportunity and freedom,” Fletcher said. “In the 155 years since the announcement of freedom and equal rights not far from where we stand today -- in Galveston, we Americans have struggled to make that promise a reality for all. I am committed to continuing the work and the fight for equality and justice and we have that opportunity now. We are at a critical moment in our country’s history and we can make real and meaningful progress together.”

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when word of the Emancipation Proclamation made it to Texas, and the last enslaved people in the United States were told they were free.

Watch the full event below.