June 19 marks the third consecutive year of Juneteenth as a federally recognized United States holiday. Also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, or America’s second Independence Day, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. after the Civil War.
Many Americans have celebrated Juneteenth annually for more than a century, even though the holiday was not officially added to the national calendar until 2021. As the Black Lives Matter movement gained renewed momentum in 2020 following the police killings of Black Americans such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, public calls intensified for the federal government to recognize emancipation as a critical turning point in U.S. history. Advocates once again urged leaders to codify the Juneteenth holiday into law, echoing efforts that began decades ago, notably after the police beating of Rodney King in 1991.
Federal recognition came in 2021. A bill to establish Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday passed almost unanimously through both chambers of Congress before being signed by President Biden on June 18. At a White House ceremony, Mr. Biden stated: “All Americans can feel the power of this day, and learn from our history.” This was the first new national holiday in the U.S. since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983 to honor the late civil rights leader’s birthday.
Juneteenth became a legal federal holiday on the eve of its earliest nationwide observance on June 19, 2021. It is observed and celebrated each year on that same date.
The Origins of Juneteenth
The name “Juneteenth” is a portmanteau combining June and nineteenth. Its origins date back to June 19, 1865, when the last group of enslaved people in the southern U.S. were informed of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation. President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that all enslaved people in Confederate states were free. However, the proclamation could not be enforced in Confederate territory until the Union Army achieved victory in the spring of 1865.
In Texas, the westernmost state controlled by the Confederacy, news of freedom and the Emancipation Proclamation arrived on June 19, 1865. Thousands of Union soldiers reached Galveston Bay and announced that all enslaved people in Texas were free by executive order. At that time, more than 250,000 Black people were enslaved in Texas. The National Museum of African American History and Culture notes that the “historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.” Once freed, those formerly enslaved in Texas declared the day “Juneteenth” in homage to the date.
Although the Emancipation Proclamation set the stage for ending slavery, it was the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that ultimately abolished slavery nationwide. The amendment was ratified in December 1865, following its passage through Congress and signing by Lincoln in January 1865.
How to Celebrate Juneteenth
Observing Juneteenth on June 19 each year commemorates that specific day in Galveston in 1865, but it also symbolizes broader emancipation and freedom. Many regard the holiday as a joyful anniversary of independence and an opportunity to remember the nation’s foundation on centuries of slavery.
Historically, different U.S. communities have celebrated Emancipation Day on various dates, reflecting when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in different regions. For example, advocates in Florida in 2021 pushed for the state to recognize Emancipation Day on May 20, the date in 1865 when news of Lincoln’s decree reached enslaved people there. Washington, D.C., has observed Emancipation Day on April 16.
Juneteenth celebrations vary widely. Public festivities often include parades, parties, concerts, educational workshops, and cultural events centered on art and cuisine. For some, commemorating Juneteenth is about tapping into the holiday’s spirit. Koritha Mitchell, an English professor at Ohio State University, told CBS News in 2021 that for her, Juneteenth revolved around family and “creating community and connection.”
Opal Lee, a retired teacher and counselor whose activism played a significant role in making Juneteenth a federal holiday, recalled joyful memories of annual celebrations in her Texas hometown. “When I was a little one and we lived in Marshall, Texas, we’d go to the fairground,” she said in a CBS News interview in 2022. “There’d be games and food and food and food. I’m here to tell ya it was like Christmas!”
Lee, now 97, is known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” for her famous trek from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to deliver 1.5 million signatures to Congress advocating for the holiday. In a 2022 interview, she shared her thoughts on the essence of Juneteenth: “People think it’s a Black thing when it’s not. It’s not a Texas thing. It’s not that. Juneteenth means freedom, and I mean for everybody!”
