President Joe Biden signed a rare piece of legislation on Thursday: a bill creating the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Ronald Reagan signed Martin Luther King Jr. Day into law.
Juneteenth Independence Day commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., institutionalizing a holiday that most states already recognize and that African Americans have celebrated for more than 150 years.
“I think this will go down, for me, as one of the greatest honors I’ve had as president,” Biden said before adding his signature.
