Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Originating in Galveston, Texas, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has been celebrated since in 1865, and has since spread across the United States.
The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth’s commemoration is on the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865 announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas – two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and two months after the Civil War ended.
During June, please visit & borrow from the book displays on the second floor and grab a “What is Juneteenth” bookmark.