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Biden signs Juneteenth into a holiday, officially giving federal employees the day off Friday
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden Thursday signed legislation making Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in Confederate states, a federal holiday.
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"This will go down for me as one of the greatest honors I will have as president," Biden said.
The president signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in the East Room of the White House, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and key lawmakers in the swift passage of the bill.
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"We have come far and we have far to go, but today is a day of celebration," Harris said.
Harris, the nation's first Black vice president, also the noted the significance of where the bill signing was happening. "We are gathered here in a house built by enslaved people," she said.
And Biden praised the country's newest holiday as a way to help heal centuries-old divisions and bring about racial justice. "Great nations don't ignore their most painful moments, they embrace them," Biden said. "In remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger."
Holiday for federal workers
The law took effect immediately after Biden's signature, meaning that federal workers will be allowed to observe the occasion ahead of Saturday. "As the 19th falls on a Saturday, most federal employees will observe the holiday tomorrow, June 18th," the U.S. Office of Personnel Management wrote in a tweet.
However, the Postal Service will still deliver mail on Friday and Saturday, according to a statement.
“Unfortunately, it is not possible to cease the operations of the Postal Service to accommodate an observance over the next 24-48 hours," according to the statement.
More: Postal Service to deliver mail Friday and Saturday, despite new Juneteenth federal holiday
Video: Biden to sign bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday (Associated Press)
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