Juneteenth: A Day of Celebration and Remembrance
A Federal Holiday Commemorating the End of Slavery
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day and Freedom Day, is a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the end of slavery. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to mark the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
A Long-Awaited Day
For more than one-and-a-half centuries, the Juneteenth holiday has been sacred to many Black communities. It marks the day when enslaved people in Texas finally learned that they were free, nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued.
In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday, making it the first new federal holiday to be established in nearly four decades. President Biden signed the bill into law, saying, "This is a day of profound weight and profound power. Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation and the promise of a brighter morning to come."
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