June 19 – known as Juneteenth, Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, Freedom Day or Liberation Day – is a day to recognize the true end of slavery in the United States and celebrate Black freedom and culture.
Emancipation Day is celebrated annually on June 19 because it’s the day the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, heard the news of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. In 2021, President Joe Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday, making it the first new federal holiday established since Martin Lurther King Jr. Day in 1983.
Read through our Juneteenth Archives to learn more about the holiday and read on below to find out where to celebrate Freedom Day in some major cities around the U.S.
