image

play
Show Caption

  • Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19, commemorates the delayed arrival of the Emancipation Proclamation news to enslaved people in Texas in 1865.
  • While a significant step, the Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth didn’t fully abolish slavery nationwide, requiring further legislation like the 13th Amendment.
  • Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday in 2021, and is often celebrated with family gatherings, religious services and cultural performances.

The Fourth of July is just under a month away. Although Independence Day is, for many Americans, synonymous with freedom, July 4, 1776 was not a day of independence for enslaved Americans.

Enslaved Black Americans had to wait almost 100 more years for independence, a day that’s observed on June 19 every year, called “Juneteenth.”

Often referred to as “Black Independence Day” or “Second Independence Day,” Juneteenth commemorates the day that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation made it to enslaved people in the south – years after it was actually signed.

Here’s when Juneteenth 2025 is, what it is and why it’s celebrated.

What is Juneteenth? A quick explainer before the important holiday

When, what is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 every year, commemorates the day the news of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation reached the south – almost three years after Lincoln signed the proclamation that started the end of slavery in the U.S.

Short for “June Nineteenth,” the holiday marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed, on June 19, 1865, History.com says. The troops arrived with the news a full two-and-a-half years after the signing of the proclamation.

And although the day is extremely significant and the longest-running Black holiday in the U.S., the emancipation proclamation was only the beginning of Black Americans’ fight for freedom.

“June 19th freed enslaved people in the rebelling states, it did not free enslaved people throughout the nation. Keep in mind, there were still border states which were still part of the Union,” Mary Elliott, Curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), said on the museum’s website.

“They had not seceded from the Union, and they still maintained slavery. Maryland, for example, was one of them. It took the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment to finally end slavery throughout the nation.”

Other reconstruction amendments also helped solidify freedom for formerly enslaved Black Americans, Elliott said. The 14th and 15th Amendments granted citizenship, due process and equal protection to freed slaves and provided them the opportunity to vote and hold office.

What is the theme for Juneteenth 2025?

Juneteenth 2025 will fall on Thursday, June 19. 

There isn’t one overarching theme for all Juneteenth celebrations nationwide, but the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s 2025 Juneteenth event is titled “Power in the past, strength in the future!”

Is Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2025? When did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?

Yes. This year will be the fourth year that Juneteenth is observed as a federal holiday. It was established as a federal holiday under former President Joe Biden in 2021.

“In 2021, Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday, opening it to symbolic and global interpretation and providing a better understanding of the evolution of our nation and its people,” The NMAAHC website says.

“Juneteenth celebrations then, like now, recognize the ongoing fight for human rights and equality and are commemorated through family cookouts, faith services, musical performances and storytelling.”

What does the star on the Juneteenth flag mean?

There are two main flags that people wave on Juneteenth. One is a blue and red flag with a white, five-pointed bursting white star in the center.

The other is the African Liberation Flag, which was created in 1920 and is broken into three horizontal color blocks: red, black and green.

Here are the meanings behind each flag, according to the NMAAHC:

  • Juneteenth flag: 
    • The colors are the same as the American flag – red white and blue. This represents that the people freed in Texas were American citizens.
    • The five-point star is a symbol for Texas (the Lone Star State), where the Juneteenth holiday started.
    • The big starburst around the five-point star represents the spread of freedom.
  • The African Liberation Flag (created in 1920):
    • This flag was designed to represent the story of the unity among people from Africa. 
    • The red stripe represents struggle and sacrifice.
    • The black stripe represents Black people.
    • The green stripe represents the natural wealth of the land of Africa.