06/19/2026
On June 19, 1865, over 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas were informed that the Civil War was won months earlier and they were finally free. Since then, Juneteenth, also known as “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Emancipation Day,” "Jubilee Day," or “Freedom Day,” has been celebrated by Black communities. The date became a federal holiday in 2021 after decades of activists' and organizers' hard work to convince our leaders to designate June 19th as a National Independence Day.
Although Juneteenth is commemorated when most K-12 schools are on summer break, it remains a valuable part of our nation's history and an essential reminder of slavery's legacy in the United States, and should be taught within other lessons on American history.
