Americans' Familiarity With Juneteenth Still Limited

U.S. Congress passed a law that would add an 11th federal public holiday to American calendars - Juneteenth. The portmanteau term, which is short for June Nineteenth, refers to a celebration of the end of slavery in America that started in Texas in 1865 - the year enslaved people in Galveston were emancipated on that very day. The bill that passed the Senate Tuesday and the House of Representatives Wednesday is now on its way to President Joe Biden's desk.

The familiarity of Americans with the holiday showcases the long way ahead to equal representation and equal historical education. In a survey by Gallup from May, almost two-thirds of Americans said they knew nothing or only a little about the date, while only 12 percent said they knew a lot. The picture looked different among African-American respondents, where 37 percent said they knew a lot about Juneteenth, while another 32 percent said they knew some facts about it. Asked if the occasion should be recognized as a federal holiday, 40 percent of all respondents - but only 18 percent of African-Americans - said that they were unsure or knew too little about it.

In the late 1970s, Juneteenth was made an official holiday in Texas. Since then, several states have followed suit but like in Texas, the recognition remained largely symbolic. In 1997, Congress also recognized the date, but without making it a federal holiday - that will likely now change.