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CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Wednesday is the federal holiday Juneteenth where people across the country will celebrate what some call our country’s second Independence Day back in 1865.

June 19th was the day when Union troops finally reached the westernmost confederate state of Texas, and announced that more than 250,000 people, still working as slaves, had been freed by the emancipation proclamation nearly two years earlier.

Now, the day marked as Juneteenth is a celebration of black American’s liberation. Most U.S. states now hold celebrations honoring Juneteenth as a holiday or a day of recognition, like Flag Day. Juneteenth is considered the longest-running African American holiday and has since been observed with celebrations and even becoming a multicultural holiday in some areas of the U.S.

On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday under the Biden Administration, when the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act went into law.

Some ways to celebrate, according to the National Day Calendar, is to join the oldest celebration of the end of slavery by exploring art, food, and history, dive into the festivals celebrating the African-American culture that are integral to Juneteenth, raise a Juneteenth flag, and more.

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