Juneteenth - Find Out More

Juneteenth marks June 19, the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. For generations, Americans have celebrated the day with parades and cookouts, but knowledge of its history is also important.

Americans celebrate Juneteenth on Monday 19th June, marking the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.

For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances, or cookouts.

Prescylia Mae, of Houston, performs in downtown Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 2021. Courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor and The Galveston County Daily News/AP/File

The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion – it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth, or June 19, as a federal holiday.

And just as many people learn what Juneteenth is all about, the holiday’s traditions are facing new pressures – political rhetoric condemning efforts to teach Americans about the nation’s racial history, companies using the holiday as a marketing event, people partying without understanding why.

Click below to find out more about the origins of Juneteenth, how it became a federal holiday and more about its history.

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