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Often called “America’s second Independence Day” or “Black Independence Day,” Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It is celebrated annually every June 19 and is the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King, Jr. Day joined the calendar.

But its federal holiday designation in 2021 didn’t come out of nowhere. It took decades of organizing by advocates like Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” and more than a century of Black communities celebrating the holiday locally for then-President Joe Biden to sign Juneteenth into law.

The groundwork for Juneteenth was laid on Jan. 1, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect. Although it declared enslaved Black people in Confederate states to be free, it did not apply to border states or areas of the South under Union control. The proclamation was a wartime measure aimed at weakening the Confederacy’s economy and morale by depriving it of enslaved labor.

The law, and the Union’s ability to enforce that law, spread slowly throughout the South. On June 19, 1865—over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect and several months after the 13th Amendment outlawed slavery—Black people enslaved in Galveston Bay, Texas, were granted their freedom.

It’s widely believed that Galveston Bay was the last place in the U.S. to still have Black people who were enslaved. The emancipation of these 250,000 individuals meant that all Black Americans were finally free. Communities in Texas began celebrating Juneteenth one year later, in 1866, with church services and community picnics.

For decades, Black people marked the holiday in similar ways. Certain foods, like barbecued meat and strawberry soda, became associated with Juneteenth. Then, on Jan. 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas thanks to the efforts of Black legislator Al Edwards.

Today, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. and reminds us how far we still have to go to create a society that provides “liberty and justice for all.” Here, Stacker has collected images of Juneteenth celebrations over the years that showcase the holiday’s importance and how much it has changed. From Black Panther rallies to historical reenactments, these photos illustrate how varied these celebrations can be.