Originally celebrated by newly freed Black communities in Texas with religious services, barbecues and symbolic traditions like discarding clothing worn during enslavement, the holiday has since grown beyond Texas and the South.

Juneteenth, which is short for “June Nineteenth”, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday, which is also known as “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day,” honors the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston,

A celebration of Black history and freedom, the day rose in prominence following the sweeping protests against racial injustice in 2020.