On June 19, the United States celebrates Juneteenth! It commemorates slavery ending in the US in 1865. If you're wondering where the name came from, it's just the shortened version of June 19th. This was when 250,000 in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed from slavery. Juneteenth is a reminder that 'no one is free until we are all free.' Let's recognize freedom by embracing the difference in the colors of our skin and celebrating our differences with respect.
Here are a few facts about this historic day and why the US celebrates it!
In 1860 and 1861, multiple Southern states declared their independence from the United States, which started the Civil War. On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring freedom for enslaved people in the Confederacy. The Confederacy surrendered to the Union in April 1865 meaning the war was over. On June 19, Union soldiers arrived in Texas to enforce President Lincoln's orders. Texas made Juneteenth an official state holiday in 1980, and several other states followed shortly behind. In 2021, it was made an official federal holiday. The holiday is also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day and Juneteenth Independence Day
We also have a FREE Juneteenth coloring page of the first African-American woman to serve as a justice of the United States Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson!
Fun Facts about Ketanji Brown Jackson
She is the first black woman justice to ever serve on the Court. Since 1789, 115 justices have served and all but six have been white men. President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court on February 25, 2022. She is the first former federal public defender to serve on the Supreme Court.
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