June 19, 2023 /Social/ — Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the end of slavery in the country. The holiday falls on June 19, which is the date in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the enslaved people in the state were free, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Juneteenth has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s, and it became a state holiday in Texas in 1980. In the decades since, every state but South Dakota has formally recognized Juneteenth as a state or ceremonial holiday. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Continue reading →