Juneteenth: 5 Things To Know About The Newest Federal Holiday

ACROSS AMERICA — Juneteenth, June 19, will be celebrated as an official federal holiday for the first time in 2021. President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday afternoon that makes Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday, and the first new one added to the national calendar since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1983.

Juneteenth, held annually on June 19, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and the date in 1865 when many slaves in Texas finally found out they were free. Slavery in America dated back 246 years to 1619.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, according to Juneteenth.com. It is “a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings.” In recent years, Juneteenth “commemorates African-American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.”

Here are five things to know about Juneteenth, the new federal holiday:

1. What It Recognizes:

Juneteenth is held on June 19 because that was the date in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the Civil War had ended and all slaves were free. Many of the slaves in Texas had not known of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had actually given them freedom more than two years earlier.

Granger read “General Order No. 3,” which stated, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves,” according to the city of Galveston, which has an historical marker for its connection to the holiday.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor and African American historian, wrote in The Root magazine that Juneteenth is “an occasion for gathering lost family members, measuring progress against freedom and inculcating rising generations with the values of self-importance and racial uplift.”

2. It Was Already A Holiday Almost Everywhere:

Texas, in 1980, was the first state to recognize Juneteenth. Almost all others followed in the 40+ years since.

Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states that did not already recognize Juneteenth, the Press-Herald newspaper reported, citing the Congressional Research Service, when Maine became among the most recent states to make it a paid state holiday this year.

The movement to make it a national holiday dates back to before the Biden administration. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution in 2018 designating June 19 as "Juneteenth Independence Day," but it did not reach the House of Representatives that year.

More and more municipalities, such as Anne Arundel County, Maryland, are recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday. County offices will be closed on Friday, June 18, in observance of the Saturday holiday this year, and Annapolis will host Maryland’s first Juneteenth festival with a parade through the state capital.

"Celebrating Juneteenth as an official county holiday demonstrates our county's true commitment to freedom and equality — for all," Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement.

"The growing national push for observance of Juneteenth is an important step as we move forward toward justice for this community, in light of centuries of racism, discrimination, and inequity."

3. How Often Are New Federal Holidays Declared?

Not very often. Juneteenth is only the 12 federal holiday declared, and the first since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1983.

Before the King Day declaration, Columbus Day was made a federal holiday in 1968, Veterans Day (originally Armistice Day) in 1938, Labor Day in 1894, Memorial Day in 1888 and Presidents' Day in 1879.

The four original federal holidays were New Year's Day, Independence Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day.

4. How Has Juneteenth Been Celebrated?

In the late 19 century, the day was celebrated by praying and spending time with family.

Additionally, men and women who had been enslaved, and younger generations, would make an annual pilgrimage to Galveston, according to The New York Times.

As the celebrations developed over the years, time with family and prayer remained a fundamental aspect of the holiday: "Juneteenth almost always focused on education and self-improvement," according to Juneteenth.com.

"Thus, often guest speakers are brought in, and the elders are called upon to recount the events of the past. Prayer services were also a major part of these celebrations."

The website also adds that food, games and fashion grew to become a more prominent aspect of the celebrations.

5. Does This Make It A Day Off From Work?

For employees of many major American brands, yes. Twitter, Nike and the National Football League are among the employers that have given their workers a paid day off even before the federal holiday declaration.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the human resources office for the federal government, tweeted Thursday that most federal employees will observe the new holiday — Juneteenth National Independence Day — on Friday since June 19 falls on a Saturday this year.

Patch Editor Gus Saltonstall contributed reporting.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.