Carson says Juneteenth holiday under discussion, end of slavery worthy of recognition
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Thursday said he supports the idea of commemorating the end of slavery and has been a part of White House conversations about a federal holiday marking “Juneteenth.”
“It’s a topic worthy of consideration and discussion,” Carson, in an interview with McClatchy on the eve of the June 19 celebration of the cessation of slavery. “I think just recognizing that this country sort of came of age, and recognize that an abominable practice came to an end, is certainly worthy of all of our recognition.”
It is unclear whether President Donald Trump is prepared to support legislation that makes the date an annual federal holiday. He has not weighed in publicly. As president, he can declare a specific one-time event a national holiday through an executive order, but not a recurring annual event.
Only Congress has the power to create annual federal holidays. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, said Thursday that he would introduce bipartisan legislation to make June 19 a federal holiday in recognition of the end of slavery.
All but three U.S. states and the District of Columbia observe June 19 in some manner, the exceptions are Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota. Activists nationally have been pushing for “Juneteenth” to be made an annual federal holiday. There are currently 10 annual federal holidays.
The date is tied to the June 19, 1865, delivery in Texas of an order by Union troops that slaves in Confederate territory had been freed through a presidential proclamation.
Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat, this week also introduced a resolution to observe the historical significance of June 19 and celebrate the independence of slaves.
Carson, who is the only Black member of the president’s Cabinet, said that a holiday tied to the end of slavery would not necessarily have to coincide with Juneteenth but could also mark another historical event of significance to the fight for freedom for African Americans.
He noted that the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1963 was issued prior to the Texas order that Juneteenth commemorates.
“But recognition of the emancipation of a significant — of a significant portion of our population, is certainly something worthy of consideration for a holiday,” Carson added.
The Emancipation Proclamation freed millions of Black slaves. However, it was not until the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that slavery was legally abolished.
Carson visited the National Archives with first lady Melania Trump on Thursday to look at both documents.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 7:29 PM.
