June 19, or Juneteenth, celebrates America’s second independence, the end of the Civil War, and as of this year, 161 years of freedom.

Juneteenth National Independence Day celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were finally made aware of their freedom from slavery (over 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect). Commemorations for the holiday date back to 1866 in Texas and over time, grew in popularity in the South before spreading throughout the country due to the Great Migration.

Celebrations consist of festivals, live music, family gatherings, and enjoying traditional foods—particularly red food and drinks, such as Hibiscus tea, watermelon, barbecued meat, and red velvet cake. Public speeches and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation are common as well.

There are two flags associated with the holiday: the Juneteenth flag (red, white, and blue) and The African Liberation flag (red, black, and green). Those celebrating usually wear a combination of the flags’ color schemes: red, black, green, and blue.

Here are some facts in honor of Juneteenth:

• Depending on whom you ask, the holiday can also be called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, or Black Independence Day.
• Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” campaigned for decades to make Juneteenth a national holiday. She succeeded in June 2021 when a bill designating it a federal holiday was signed into law by former President Joe Biden.
• The Juneteenth flag was created by activist Ben Haith in 1997. He is also the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation.
• Emancipation Park in Houston was bought in 1872 by black Texan leaders. It became a place meant for their community to safely gather for the holiday, as many public spaces were segregated or restricted. It was later donated to the City of Houston in 1916 and is currently the oldest park in the city.

The colonial system of slavery, or chattel slavery, has been banned in America since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. However, modern slavery exists in the United States. Walk Free, an international rights non-profit organization, estimates many people in the country are still enslaved today through state-imposed forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation.

The holiday continues to inspire organizations in spreading awareness of those still affected.

Juneteenth celebrates liberation, resilience, and culture. With it, we honor the past to empower the future.

Happy Juneteenth!