Get Ready for the Ridiculous (Racist, Insane, Pathetic) Outcry Against Juneteenth

It is coming in public and in private, whether we like it or not

Note: This essay has been updated to reflect the passage of the Juneteenth bill by Congress, as well as the signing of the bill into law by President Biden on June 17, 2021.

Here it comes. Get ready for it. As Stanley Tucci’s Nigel says in The Devil Wears Prada, “Gird your loins!” Millions across America are about to argue against a new national holiday. My guess: about 30 million or so. Only good ol’ American racism can turn a nation of hardworking, God-fearing, Best-Buy-shopping people into proud advocates for fewer days off in the working year.

The twisted Tweeting, the moral and mental gymnastics, and the outright abandonment of sanity and grace are about to begin — yet again. Yesterday, President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, will now be celebrated annually as an official federal holiday.

The bill moved smoothly through the Senate, before meeting opposition by 14 members of the House. Was the Senate just too busy delaying infrastructure investment, killing a minimum-wage hike, or blocking voting rights to take the time to damn the bill? Did…