Lawmakers Push to Reform the 13th Amendment on Juneteenth
Members of Congress and others, pointing to the Juneteenth holiday, are pushing for the expansion of the 13th Amendment to provide worker protections for people who are incarcerated and often forced into working for very little pay.
“I’m bold enough to think that I can change the Constitution, and I know that there’s a national, bipartisan, multiracial movement to get it done. Let’s #EndTheException in the 13th Amendment,” Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) wrote on Twitter on Monday.
The Constitution’s 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States was ratified in 1865 following the Civil War. Juneteenth recognizes when the news reached Texas two years later and is celebrated on the third Saturday in June. It became a federal holiday last year, when President Biden signed the Congress-approved legislation after years of advocates pushing for recognition. Federal offices observed Juneteenth on Monday.
