Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who has been leading the GOP’s efforts on police reform in the wake of mass Black Lives Matter protests, said over the weekend that he was “open” to the idea of designating Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
In addition to her “Juneteenth Independence Day” legislation that would make it an official holiday, Jackson Lee said she will also introduce a resolution commemorating the day’s importance and supporting “the continued celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day to provide an opportunity for the people of the United States to learn more about the past.”
The House and Senate have approved similar resolutions on Juneteenth in recent years, but Jackson Lee said this year’s version will have more than 200 original co-sponsors.
It’s unclear how many Democrats will embrace the idea of adding a new holiday in an election year with a lot of other stuff going on.
The Reagan administration considered other reasons to oppose the new holiday, such as the cost to the federal government of another paid day off, but relented partly because, as a 1983 White House memo put it, “growing numbers of Americans are beginning to look upon Dr. King’s contributions to America, and Americans generally, not just Black Americans.”
