The campaigns of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump shared messages commemorating June 19 on Wednesday.
June 19 marks the day in 1865 when approximately 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned that the Civil War was over and that they had been declared legally free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Although June 16 has been an official holiday in Texas since 1980, it has been a federal holiday since 2021. On June 16, 2021, Congress passed a bill to make it a holiday, and Biden signed it into law on June 17.
“I am proud to point to the bipartisan law that makes June 19 our new federal holiday, so that all Americans can feel the strength of this day, learn about our history, celebrate our progress, and recognize and interact in the work that continues,” Biden said. he said, since he made the occasion official in 2021.
On Wednesday, Biden and Trump’s campaigns are June 16 in the midst of the 2024 presidential election. Biden and Trump are the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, respectively.
Biden on the holiday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Today, we honor the tireless work of abolitionists who have set out to fulfill America’s promise to all Americans. Happy June 16!” Biden posted.
In a separate press titled A June 17 History Lesson for Donald Trump, Biden’s crusade took aim at Trump’s previous comments about the holiday.
“Four years ago, Trump even denigrated June 19 itself, saying that ‘no one had heard of it’ before the backlash that ensued when he scheduled a rally for June 19 at the site of a historic bloodbath of black Americans. Black leaders called the move “a slap in the face to blacks,” the crusade wrote.
Biden’s crusade also announced a new TV ad commemorating June 16, according to a news release. The ad will air in two cities in 2024 — Atlanta, Georgia and Detroit, Michigan — and “celebrates Black America’s contribution to defining culture, blazing paths, and leading the ongoing struggle to realize America’s promise and build a society: a more equal, fairer, and freer nation. “
The Trump crusade shared an image of Janiyah Thomas, the crusade’s black media director, to mark the holiday.
“All slaves are free!” This is the cry that resounded on June 19, 1865. The precept of freedom has always been at the base of the Republican Party. Today we reflect on how far we have come as a country and let us not forget that the gentle will triumph at all times. In the dark,” it reads.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we will continue to advance the American dream for all. “
Trump had not issued a statement on June 16 before it was released Wednesday.
Newsweek has reached out to the Biden and Trump campaigns for comment via email.
Andrew Stanton is a weekend reporter for Newsweek in Maine. Its role is to report on American politics and social issues. Andrew joined Newsweek in 2021 from the Boston Globe. He is a graduate of Emerson College. Andrew can be reached by emailing a. stanton@ newsweek. com. Languages: English.
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