Juneteenth

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the Republicans who voted against making Juneteenth a federal holiday have 3 things in common ... they're white, male and in denial.

We got AOC on Capitol Hill and asked her about the importance of recognizing the end of slavery in the United States with the new federal holiday. While she acknowledged the passage of the bill was an important first step, she was also sad to see opposition from GOP Congressmen.

While the proposal to make Juneteenth a holiday passed unanimously in the Senate, there were 14 votes against it in the House before it ended up on President Biden's desk.

AOC was quick to point out the GOP votes against it were all entered by white men.

She believes that lack of diversity ties in with the movement in several states to ban public schools from teaching students about America's history of slavery and systemic racism.

As we reported ... Biden signed the landmark bill Thursday, and both he and Vice President Kamala Harris said it's just the next step in the long journey to equality.

Marlon Wayans isn't stopping with a federally mandated 3-day weekend, no sir ... the Juneteenth celebration he has in mind requires taking the whole month off!!!

We got the comedian and actor Friday leaving Equinox in WeHo, and asked how he plans to recognize the U.S of A's newest national holiday. Marlon isn't waiting for President Biden's signature -- he's simply anointing June as Black History Month, Part II.

On a serious note, or at least seriously funny ... Marlon told us how Black people will be marking the holiday this weekend. Sounds like he'll be joining in starting tonight, on what he calls Juneteenth eve.

We also ask him how non-Black Americans should celebrate. He says that's a no-brainer.

As we reported, on Thursday, Biden officially signed Juneteenth into law.

Juneteenth, of course, is the oldest celebration in America commemorating the end of slavery. Brush up some more on the history here. It had previously been a state holiday or an observed day in 47 states and Washington D.C.

President Biden just made it official ... there's now a federal holiday marking a milestone in the abolishment of slavery in the United States.

Biden put pen to paper Thursday, signing a landmark bill establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day. It's a huge deal, and not only because it's the first new federal holiday established since 1983 with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Juneteenth is the oldest celebration in America commemorating the end of slavery. Prior to Biden signing the bill, the day was marked as a state holiday or observance in 47 states and Washington D.C.

While both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris said the holiday shows how far America's come as a nation, they stressed there's still a long road to go in making good on the promise for equality for all.

Still, Kamala says it's a day of celebration and the party's already starting on Capitol Hill ... the Congressional Black Congress sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing" -- aka the "Black National Anthem" -- after the bill was signed in the House and sent to Biden's desk.

Biden and Harris hope folks understand the history of Juneteenth and learn from it ... so here's a quick lesson.

The name Juneteenth comes from June 19, 1865, the date Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and informed a group of slaves the Civil War was over and they were free.

Of course, President Lincoln had actually abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation nearly 3 years earlier, but Texas was the most remote of the slave states and had a low presence of Union soldiers ... so enforcement was beyond slow.

The first Juneteenth celebration traces its roots to 1866 in Texas, with the holiday spreading across the South in the following decades, and in 2020 there was a renewed push to make it a federal holiday.

Usher was spotted at the White House for the historic event.

D.L. Hughley's fired up about Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, but it's got nothing to do with getting a 3-day weekend -- he's fuming at the ironic dilemma it presents.

We got the comedian on "TMZ Live" Thursday and he made a hilarious comparison about President Biden soon signing Juneteenth into law to make it the 12th federal holiday. D.L. says it's like getting the wrong order from Amazon, and keeping it ... but still wondering why the original order's missing in the first place.

His point is Black people have been demanding justice and equality, but instead got a 3-day weekend. Yeah, no one's gonna complain, but what about the justice part?

D.L. says there's another aspect of the new Juneteenth federal holiday that reeks of irony -- the fact that several U.S. Senators who voted for the bill are simultaneously trying to block schools from teaching about the role slavery played in building America. As he put it ... it's kinda hard to explain the holiday if critical race theory is censored.

More than 20 states have introduced legislation that would restrict lessons on racism or any other "divisive" concepts. Hughley says this is the duality of our life in America.