Page 2 - Juneteenth Booklet 2022 Finale

JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day,

is a holiday in the United States that commemorates the an-
nouncement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas in
1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a combination of June
and nineteenth, and is recognized as either a state holiday or a

day of observance in 45 of the states in the United States.
The state of Texas is widely considered the first U.S. state to
begin Juneteenth celebrations with informal observances tak-

ing place for over a century; it has been an official state holiday
since 1980.

It is considered a “partial staffing holiday,” meaning that state
offices do not close, but some employees will be using a
floating holiday to take the day off. Schools are not closed, but
most public schools in Texas are already into summer vacation
th
by June 19 . Its observance has spread to many other states,
with a few celebrations even taking place in other countries.

As of May 2020, forty-nine (49) U.S. states and the District of
Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday
or state holiday observance. The state that do not recognize
Juneteenth is South Dakota.

Though Abraham Lincoln I issued the Emancipation Proclama-
tion on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January

1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to
-day lives, particularly in the Confederate States of America.
Texas, as a part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the Eman-
cipation Proclamation.

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