06/19/2026
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, the day Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved African Americans were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued.
But Juneteenth is more than a date. It is a reminder that freedom delayed is freedom denied, and that the fight to secure rights, justice, and full citizenship did not end with emancipation.
For generations, Black families and communities preserved this history through celebrations, storytelling, faith traditions, and collective memory long before Juneteenth became a federal holiday. Today, we honor those who carried this history forward and recommit ourselves to protecting, preserving, and sharing the stories that shape our nation's understanding of freedom.