- Juneteenth is a federal holiday that recognizes the freedom of formerly enslaved Black people, traditionally celebrated on June 19 to commemorate Major Gen. Gordon Granger’s arrival in Texas in 1865 to announce the end of the Civil War.
- Former President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth into law as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, surrounded by civil rights activists like Rep. Jim Clyburn and the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, as well as Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.”
- Opal Lee walked 2.5 miles each year to symbolize the time it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her advocacy work by Biden.
- The first Juneteenth celebration took place in 1866, one year after Granger’s order, with some calling it “Jubilee Day” or “Freedom Day,” and it was later listed on the public events calendar in 1872 with the help of the Freedmen’s Bureau.
- Celebrations may include educational programming, readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, cookouts, festivals, Miss Juneteenth contests, and singing the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Source: https://wgntv.com/news/national/juneteenth-2025-what-to-know-including-whats-open
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