06/19/2026
JUNETEENTH
According to Juneteenth.com, Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day) celebrates the actual end of slavery as it had been known. While President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was made official in January 1863, the benefits of the proclamation did not reach enslaved people in Texas until more than two years later because there were not enough Union soldiers to ensure it was followed.
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and his troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, to provide the message that the war was over and that enslaved people indeed were to be freed.
Today, Juneteenth celebrates Black culture and accomplishments. Recognized as a federal holiday in the United States, banks, your post office, and government offices will be closed for the day. It’s a time when communities congregate for backyard barbecues, concerts and picnics to celebrate.