06/19/2026
Juneteenth commemorates June 19th, 1865, when the news of President Abraham Lincolnβs Emancipation Proclamation finally reached enslaved people of Galveston, Texas.
Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, it took over two years for enslaved individuals to be aware of their freedom. Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day every year to recognize how long it took for freedom to be extended to ALL enslaved individuals across the country.