On Thursday, President Biden signed a bill establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday . It is the 12th legal federal holiday and the first new one since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983.
Juneteenth is a critical part of American history marking the date the last slaves were granted their freedom. On this day in 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform slaves of their emancipation, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
On this day, we commemorate the end of slavery in our country. Let us mark this moment with the continued work to lead systemic change that delivers on the promise of liberty and justice for all.
