Florida is among the states that do not recognize June 19 as an official holiday.
It has been two years since President Joe Biden signed legislation recognizing Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, as the nation’s 12th federal holiday.
Juneteenth observances not only raise awareness about the African diaspora, slavery, and the painful history of the Civil War but are also an opportunity to celebrate freedom.
Juneteenth’s history goes back to President Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, and to the 2 1/2 years it took for the news to get to Texas.
Union soldiers arrived on June 19, 1865, in Galveston with the order for slaves to be freed. It was just about two months after the Confederacy surrendered.
COMPLETE COVERAGE
- ‘Educate the young ones’: Hollywood celebrates Juneteenth with parade
- A beginner’s guide to Juneteenth: How can all Americans celebrate?
- Americans mark Juneteenth with parties, events, quiet reflection on end of slavery after Civil War
- Family suing San Diego cemetery after remains of Juneteenth trailblazer missing from burial plot
- Artist paints mural to commemorate Juneteenth in Miami’s Overtown
- Red Sox, Nationals, A’s among MLB teams commemorating Juneteenth
- Celebrate Juneteenth with these local events
- Celebration in Miami’s Liberty City
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