Why are they calling it Juneteenth?

Juneteenth (officially Juneteenth National Independence Day and also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day) is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved black Americans.

Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas, and it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865.

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.

Why are they calling it Juneteenth?

It is being called Juneteenth because the name “Juneteenth” references the date of the holiday, which is as a result of the combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth.”

Celebrations of Juneteenth dates back to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas.

It then spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival.