Enshrined as a Pennsylvania state holiday since 2019 and a federal one two years later, Juneteenth is a commemoration of June 19, 1865, the date when the Emancipation Agreement was enforced in Texas — more than two years after it was signed — granting freedom to the state’s remaining slaves.

Juneteenth just became a federal holiday in 2021—and while it took a little while, it’s also now an official holiday in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Many private businesses, however, still don’t observe it as a holiday,

One of America's newest federal holidays takes place Thursday, and government offices and some businesses will close their doors for a day. Juneteenth, on June 19, is a holiday that commemorates the freedom of enslaved African Americans in Texas.