Juneteenth: what is commemorated on June 19 in the United States?

This June 19 marks the second Juneteenth as a federal holiday. We explain what is commemorated during this date in the United States.

Last year, both the House of Representatives, the Senate and President Joe Biden approved a bill to make Juneteenth Day, which is celebrated every June 19, a federal holiday .

By 2021, 47 of the 50 entities in the United States, as well as the District of Columbia, already officially commemorated June 19. The only states that did not celebrate this day were Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota. We explain what Juneteenth is about and what it commemorates.

Juneteenth: what is commemorated on June 19 in the United States?

'Juneteenth' marks one of the most important events in the history of the United States: the end of slavery. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves.

However, it took two years for freedom to become a reality for all , since it was not until June 19, 1865 that Union soldiers in Gveston, Texas, announced to the slaves that they were free and thousands of people were released.

It is known as 'Juneteenth', since, since 1866, it is commemorated every day 19 (nineteenth) of the month of June (june). This day is also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day.

Edward Markey, one of the senators who proposed the bill to make Juneteenth an official holiday, said marking the holiday will help heal the racial wounds that still plague the nation more than 150 years after the Civil War struck it. shatter.

"Commemorating June 19 as a national holiday will address this long-ignored gap in our history, acknowledge the wrong that was done, acknowledge the pain and suffering of generations of slaves and their descendants, and ultimately celebrate their freedom , " the year noted. past.

Now that Juneteenth is recognized as an official holiday, federal government employees will have June 19 off. It is worth mentioning that if the 19th falls on a Saturday, the holiday goes to the previous Friday and if it falls on a Sunday, it goes to the following Monday. It is also important to mention that the private sector is not obliged to grant this day off.

Before Juneteenth, the last federal holiday to be added to the calendar was Martin Luther King Jr. Day , which was established in 1983 after a 15-year push.