Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery after enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom, has been celebrated for decades in churches and at family gatherings.
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but it wasn’t until more than two years later, in 1865, when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas learned they were free.
Five years after Congress made Juneteenth a federal holiday, the vote is back in the spotlight in Arizona as the two Republicans running to be the state’s next governor — Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert — landed on opposite sides of it.
For decades, advocates have pushed for Juneteenth to become a national holiday.
The issue finally came to a vote in 2021, a year after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by police in Minneapolis. Amid nationwide protests demanding racial justice, a growing number of companies began recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday and the lawmakers weighed how to honor the contributions of Black Americans along with facing its dark past.
Local lawmaker reactions
In 2021, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to commemorate the day. The House then passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, with 415 representatives voting in favor. Only 14 Republican lawmakers voted against it, including two from Arizona.
Democratic lawmakers at the time – Ruben Gallego, Raul Grijalva, Ann Kirkpatrick, Tom O’Halleran and Greg Stanton – all voted in favor of making the date a federal holiday. Republican Debbie Lesko and David Schweikert, who is now running to be the state’s next governor, joined them in voting yes.
Arizona’s two no votes came from Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Bullhead City) and Andy Biggs (R-Mesa).
Gosar called Juneteenth “debunked Critical Race Theory in action,” in a statement.
“Our country is divided, and the cultural and political Marxists are continuing their relentless efforts to divide this country further,” Gosar said. “I reject racism. I reject the racial division people are promoting. I voted no because this proposed holiday does not bring us together, it tears us apart.”
Gosar added that he voted no because the US already celebrates the 4th of July, which applies to “all people of all races.”
In a video posted on X, Biggs, Schweikert’s rival in the governor’s race, said he voted no because he disagreed with the holiday’s name.
He said preferred “Juneteenth National Emancipation Day.”
“What it is really is, it’s Emancipation Day,” Biggs said. “They could have made this a really harmonious, celebratory bill, if they would have taken it through committee and they would have changed the name.”
Then-President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law, making June 19 a federally recognized holiday.
