“Juneteenth”, also known as “Freedom Day,” is the longest running African American holiday, celebrating the ending of Slavery. On June 19th, 1865, Union Soldiers had reached Galveston, Texas with the news that Slavery had been abolished, nearly 2 ½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Many African Americans left to reunite with family in neighboring states, or traveled to the more progressive, northern states, but returned to Galveston in the later decades on June 19th to acknowledge, “the second Independence Day.” On June 15th, 2021, the United States Senate approved the bill to make Juneteenth a legal public holiday.
