Emancipation Proclamation was news of Freedom




Observing Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the last remaining enslaved people in Galveston, Texas – whose enslavers had withheld news of the legislation for two and a half years. The following year on June 19th, was the first official Juneteenth celebration. Today, Juneteenth is recognized as a time of jubilee; celebrating freedom, family, community, and faith in a brighter future, and for some, as a day to acknowledge the continued struggle for racial justice. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday.