Juneteenth Day 2024: Is it Federal Holiday in USA? Check meaning, history, quotes

Juneteenth, which refers to "June Nineteenth," is the day that federal forces arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to impose the abolition of slavery. After the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, this took place 2.5 years later. As the oldest African American holiday, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday

Texas was the first state to officially recognize Juneteenth as a holiday in 1979. Other states eventually decided to mark the day likewise, as reported by History.

Congress enacted a resolution declaring Juneteenth as a federal holiday in June 2021. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed this into law. In 2024, Juneteenth will be observed on Wednesday, June 19.

History of Juneteenth

General Gordon Granger, a Union commander, arrived at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. About two months after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at
Appomattox, Virginia, he arrived to inform enslaved African Americans that they were free and that the Civil War was over, as reported by the New York Times.

President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, over two and a half years earlier and this declaration put it into force.

There are other names for the day, including "Juneteenth Independence Day," "Freedom Day," and "Emancipation Day."

Juneteenth Day Quotes

As per the reports of Juneteenth.com, family get-togethers and prayers were part of the early Juneteenth celebrations. With time, the festivities grew to include yearly vacations to Galveston for families of former slaves.

According to the Jesuit, the best quotes to share on the day are:
"If the cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. Because the goal of America is freedom, abused and scorned tho’ we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation."
- Coretta Scott King

"There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made."
- Michelle Obama

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."
- Desmond Tutu

"Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave."
- Frederick Douglass

FAQs:

Q1. Is Juneteenth a federal holiday in the USA?
A1. Yes, Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Q2. Who declared Juneteenth as a federal holiday?
A2. Congress passed a resolution in June 2021, and President Biden signed it into law, establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.