Juneteenth being observed today
Shawn Valverde/Journal-World
Members of the Vann family wave to Juneteenth parade-goers in Lawrence on Saturday, June 15, 2024.Juneteenth has been a part of history for nearly 180 years, but will be observed as a federal holiday for just the fourth time.
The holiday dates back to June 19, 1865. It was nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America.
According to National Museum of African American History and Culture, more than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree on that day in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day.
President Joe Biden signed a bill June 17, 2021, making Juneteenth the 11th American federal holiday. It marked the first to obtain legal observance since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated in 1983.