Community members in Madison celebrate the first official Juneteenth national holiday.
Revelers marched through town yesterday to Penn Park. There was food to enjoy along with children’s activities and more. Congress and President Biden acted to make Juneteenth a national holiday for the first time this year. The holiday recognizes when the last group of African American slaves living in Galveston found out on June 19, 1865 that the Confederacy had surrendered in April and that they had been set free.
When it comes to lawmakers, Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson joins in with Juneteenth celebrations in Kenosha and Milwaukee.
The Republican lawmaker was met with “boos” from the crowd while attending Milwaukee’s celebration of the new federal holiday on Saturday. Senator Johnson was said to be heckled by members of the crowd while speaking to reporters. Johnson opposed making Juneteenth a nationally recognized holiday earlier this week, saying he objected to the cost of the holiday and the “lack of debate.”
