![]() ![]() Today it is still celebrated within families, with gatherings and food, but it’s also celebrated on a larger scale in many cities with parades, freedom walks, and festivals, especially since it became a federal holiday last year. ![]() In 1872, a group of Black ministers and businessmen purchased 10 acres of land, which they turned into Emancipation Park, a place to hold Juneteenth celebrations. Traditionally, the day was celebrated by praying and bringing families together. ![]() Juneteenth is also known as “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Emancipation Day,” or “Freedom Day.” The holiday is the oldest national holiday commemorating the end of slavery. Communities nationwide are celebrating by walking 2.5 miles, in recognition of the 2.5 years it took for the news of freedom to reach all enslaved people in the United States. Opal Lee has been campaigning for decades to have Juneteenth nationally recognized, and when she was 94 years old, she saw President Biden sign the bill. On June 17th, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. June 19th is the day that federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation that all enslaved people be freed. Juneteenth, short for June nineteenth, commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States. ![]()
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