The 16th of June, known as Juneteenth in the United States, will become a federal holiday in that country following voting in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The day commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, and activists have for some time been lobbying for it to be recognised as an official holiday.
The Senate, the upper house of the American parliament, voted unanimously for it to be recognised as a holiday, while in the House of Representatives 415 voted for it to be recognised, against 14 who were opposed.
The bill will now make its way to the White House where it will wait for President Joe Biden to sign it into law and officially make the day a national holiday.
Despite the nearly unanimous approval for the move to make the holiday federally recognised, some were opposed to it. Said Matt Rosendale, Montana’s single representative in the House: ‘Since I believe in treating everyone equally, regardless of race, and that we should be focused on what unites us rather than our differences, I will vote no.’