Honoring Juneteenth As An Official National Holiday

Illinois government offices closed Friday after President Joe Biden signed a bill making June 19 a federal holiday

By Stephanie Kim
Honoring Juneteenth As An Official National Holiday
In this June 17, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden hands a pen to Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., after signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. From left, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., Opal Lee, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., obscured, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of S.C., Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, obscured, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas. Evan Vucci, File / AP Photo
Honoring Juneteenth As An Official National Holiday
In this June 17, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden hands a pen to Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., after signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. From left, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., Opal Lee, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., obscured, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of S.C., Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, obscured, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas. Evan Vucci, File / AP Photo

Honoring Juneteenth As An Official National Holiday

Illinois government offices closed Friday after President Joe Biden signed a bill making June 19 a federal holiday

By Stephanie Kim
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For more than 150 years, Juneteenth has been commemorated as the end of slavery in the U.S. Now, Juneteenth is a federal holiday and will be observed as an official holiday in Illinois and Chicago starting next year.

Reset discusses the significance of these decisions and how the legacy of Juneteenth impacts our present and future.

GUESTS: Angela Tate, public historian

Shermann Thomas, urban historian

Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th Ward