Here’s a guide on which businesses will be closing on Juneteenth this year.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Many Americans will celebrate Juneteenth on Wednesday, June 19, commemorating the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.
Cities across the nation will celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day this week, which gained federal holiday status in 2021 after President Joe Biden signed it into law. Although it is the country’s newest federal holiday, Juneteenth has been celebrated for generations by many Black Americans.
Here’s a guide on which businesses and services will be closed on Juneteenth in 2024.
Are post offices closed on Juneteenth?
Like with most federal holidays, the U.S. Post Office will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
Banks closed on Juneteenth
Most banks will close for the federal holiday, though ATMs and online banking will still be available. Major banks planning to close on June 19 include:
- Bank of America Corp.
- JPMorgan Chase and Co.
- Wells Fargo
- Truist
Government offices
Most federal government offices will be closed on Wednesday. However, jurisdiction falls on cities and local governments on whether they’ll remain open.
Is the stock market closed on Juneteenth?
U.S. stock markets will be closed Wednesday.
What’s open on Juneteenth?
Generally, most businesses and restaurants will remain open on Juneteenth. Here’s a list of some of the national retailers planning to operate normally.
Stores and pharmacies:
- Kroger
- Walmart
- Target
- CVS
- Walgreens
Is Costco open on Juneteenth?
Costco will remain open on Wednesday, June 19, according to its website.
What’s the history of Juneteenth?
The holiday name is a blend of the words June and nineteenth. It has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, second Independence Day and Emancipation Day.
The holiday regained traction in 2020 amid nationwide protests over police killings of Black Americans including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Despite the new federal holiday status, Juneteenth holds a 150-year history and has been celebrated for generations by Black Americans.
Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas, after the end of the Civil War.
Through the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, enslaved people in the Confederate states were declared legally free.
“Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States,” describes the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
But the proclamation couldn’t be enforced in places still under Confederate control. For the enslaved people of Texas, freedom wouldn’t come until after the end of the Civil War.
On June 19, 1865, Union Major Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in Galveston Bay, announcing that the quarter million enslaved Black people in Texas were free by executive decree.