In 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday in the United States after President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Juneteenth celebrates the day when the last enslaved people in Texas learned they were free on June 19, 1865.
According to Wikipedia:
Juneteenth National Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It is also often observed for celebrating African-American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865. The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement in honor of Juneteenth:
On this Juneteenth — in America’s 250th year — may we be reminded that the freedom promised in our founding documents was, for generations of Black Americans, shamefully denied. Throughout our history, our nation has moved closer to its highest ideals only when Americans have stood up to advance the cause of freedom and equality — including the thousands of Maine people who gave their lives to rid our nation of slavery and preserve the Union. As our nation faces renewed efforts to divide us, deny hard truths, and turn back generations of progress toward freedom and equality, we should remember, as Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote while living in Brunswick, ‘The longest way must have its close — the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning.’
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