Latest news with #JuneteenthNationalIndependenceDay
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
When is Juneteenth? Is it a federal holiday? What to know
The nation's youngest federal holiday is around the corner. Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas when the last Black slaves of the Confederacy were ordered free following the arrival of Union troops. The day, which rose to national prominence in 2020 amid nationwide protests for ongoing racial inequities in the justice system between Black people – specifically Breonna Taylor and George Floyd – and police, was officially recognized a federal holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021. Here's what to know about the holiday and what day it occurs. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Juneteenth: Everything to know about the federal holiday Juneteenth National Independence Day is on Thursday, June 19, this year, and is considered a federal holiday. Juneteenth is considered a bank holiday, according to the Federal Reserve. The United States Postal Service, schools, and most banks, like Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America, Truist, and others, will also be closed on June 19. Fact check: No, a George Floyd statue wasn't removed from the National Mall The holiday commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation in the U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation to free enslaved African Americans in secessionist states on January 1, 1863, but enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, would not learn of their freedom until two years later. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed the community of Galveston of Lincoln's proclamation. Although enslaved people had been officially emancipated years prior, enslavers responsible for telling them ignored the order until Union troops arrived to enforce it, founder of Cliff Robinson earlier told USA TODAY. Texas was the last Confederate state to have the proclamation announced. Though the story of Texas' emancipation is the most widely known, president of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation Steve Williams previously told USA TODAY, other significant events in the history of emancipation took place on and around that date. He said the first known Juneteenth celebrations began in 1866 and spread across the country as African Americans migrated to new cities. Juneteenth is a combination of "June" and "nineteenth," in honor of the day that Granger announced the abolition of slavery in Texas. The holiday is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Julia Gomez, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Juneteenth 2025: When is it? Is it a federal holiday?
Newsweek
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's Juneteenth Message Gets Surprising Response
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's complaint that there are "too many non-working holidays in America" has sparked a surprising response on his social media platform. "It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed," Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday, the same day as Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. "The workers don't want it either! Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" While Truth Social has many subscribers who are Trump supporters, his post received a largely negative response. "You lost me here, Americans are already overworked and in many cases underpaid," one user replied to Trump. President Donald Trump speaking on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday. President Donald Trump speaking on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images This is a breaking story. More to follow.
Mint
a day ago
- General
- Mint
Juneteenth 2025: Significance, celebration and everything you need to know
The Juneteenth National Independence Day falls on June 19, and on this day in 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with 2,000 troops to enforce the emancipation of 250,000 enslaved Black people. This came two and a half years after President Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, delayed by Texas's remote location and resistance to ending slavery. While the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery nationwide, June 19 became a symbolic "Independence Day" for Black Americans. In 2021, after decades of advocacy led by activists like Opal Lee, Juneteenth became the US's newest federal holiday. President Biden, during his tenure, declared this as a new federal holiday, and America's Second Independence Day. The US celebrates Juneteenth to honor both liberation and resilience. While the Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people free in Confederate states, it relied on Union enforcement. Texas, largely untouched by Union troops until 1865, became the final frontier for emancipation. But Juneteenth isn't just about the past. As scholar Angela Davis notes, it's a day to recognize "progress" while confronting America's "distance we have to travel" toward justice. It embodies the unyielding hope of a people who transformed trauma into community, education, and cultural pride, a legacy that fuels ongoing struggles for equality. Celebrating Juneteenth blends reflection, joy, and action. Here's how to engage culturally: Attending local events: Join festivals, parades, concerts, parades and events featuring music, fireworks, and family activities. These gatherings, rooted in 1866 Texas church services, emphasize community resilience. Read and attain knowledge: Read works by Maya Angelou or Frederick Douglass, listen to 'Lift Every Voice and Sing." Host a barbecue with red foods—strawberry soda, watermelon, or hibiscus tea, symbolizing ancestral sacrifice and West African heritage. Educate and Advocate: Visit museums (many offer free entry), research family histories via the Freedmen's Bureau, or volunteer. As civil rights leader John Lewis urged, use the day to 'make good trouble.' Share these heartfelt messages with your loved ones, or patriots who have a history of sacrifice towards America to honor this federal holiday: "Happy Juneteenth! Today, we celebrate the fierce hope of those who waited, the courage of those who fought, and the joy of freedom that belongs to us all. Let's honor their legacy by building a future where every voice is heard." "May we keep learning, rising, and lifting each other. Wishing you pride in our history and power in our progress." 'Sending love this Freedom Day! As Maya Angelou wrote, 'You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise.' Let's celebrate resilience today, and every day.' 'Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is a journey we walk together. Thank you for being part of mine. Let's grill some red velvet cake, crank up the soul music, and toast to the ancestors tonight!' "Wishing you a meaningful Juneteenth. Remember: Nobody's free until everybody's free. Let's keep pushing for justice with joy in our hearts."
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Juneteenth marks progress and belongs to the whole country
Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday and technically Juneteenth National Independence Day, strikes us as a fine idea that all Americans can and should get behind. It's been a federal holiday only since 2021 and, even now, around a dozen states don't recognize it as a permanent state holiday, although that number is decreasing. Alaska and Vermont have changed their tune this year. The markets are closed, too. Good. Juneteenth is a fine thing. First and foremost, the end of slavery is something we all should commemorate and remember. Second, we carbon-based Americans deserve some sort of new dividend from the rise of artificial intelligence that, we are constantly told, can and will do our jobs better than we can do them ourselves. And, third, this particular holiday comes at an especially fine time of year, at least in our city. Consider: It's invariably frigid on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, rightly conceived as a day of service, and often still chilly on Memorial Day. Labor Day is suffused with a certain melancholy at the end of summer and children are already back in school. Unlike in Europe, while Easter Sunday is widely observed, it does not have its own federal holiday in the United States. And on July 4, family activities have to compete with parades. But June 19 comes before scorching heat takes over (usually, anyway), arrives after the end of school year but while the joys of summer are still fresh, and comes baked with an inherent emancipatory joy. You can hear it in the very name — Juneteenth! — and while the holiday always should most belong to the descendants of American slaves, it is good for the country for that joy to be shared, even with those whose ancestors would not have been celebrants. That is a marker of a country's progress. And it is always easier to gift those who don't understand than to guilt-trip them. Every kid should know Juneteenth is something for America to celebrate. Today, we run an Opinion piece from David Wright Faladé of the University of Illinois that takes issue with the common narrative behind June 19. Faladé argues that the enslaved Blacks in Texas were well aware that the Civil War had ended and that they were freed, even before Army Gen. Gordon Granger and his Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, and delivered that news. After all, he points out, the slaves 'stood at hand during meals, overhearing conversations.' Thus they most likely knew everything that their so-called owners knew and had already shared it among each other through their well-documented communication networks. Simply put, they did not need Granger to tell them about the Emancipation Proclamation, even though that made a good, emotive story for the white media of the time. And it hardly needs saying that freedom for a Black American in 1865 was a relative term. But none of that detracts from the importance or the celebratory nature of Juneteenth. Like many meaningful holidays, its power lies not in historical precision but in what it represents. And, for the record, celebrating Juneteenth neither rivals nor diminishes the significance of July 4, Independence Day. They are not in competition. For 'red' America to prioritize one and 'blue' America the other only serves to devalue both of them. So go out and celebrate Juneteenth. It's for you, too.
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
US weekly jobless claims fall, but still elevated
U.S. jobless claims edged down to 245,000, aligning with forecasts but remaining at the upper end of this year's range, signaling a potential slowdown in labor market momentum for June. Layoffs have risen amid economic uncertainty fueled by tariffs, while hiring remains soft. The Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady while monitoring economic impacts. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, but stayed at levels consistent with a further loss of labor market momentum in claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 245,000 for the week ended June 14, the Labor Department said on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 245,000 claims for the latest report was released a day early because of the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday on are in the upper end of their range for this year and could remain there, with non-teaching staff in some states eligible to file for unemployment benefits during the summer school some technical factors accounted for the elevation in claims, there has been a rise in layoffs, with economists saying President Donald Trump's broad tariffs had created a challenging economic environment for businesses. The claims data covered the period during which the government surveyed businesses for the nonfarm payrolls component of June's employment Reserve officials wrapping up their two-day policy meeting on Wednesday are expected to leave the U.S. central bank's its benchmark overnight interest rate in the 4.25%-4.50% range, where it has been since December, while monitoring the economic fallout from the import duties and the conflict between Israel and still historically low layoffs have accounted for much of the labor market stability, with the hiring side of the equation soft amid hesitancy by employers to increase headcount because of the unsettled economic environment. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 139,000 jobs in May, down from 193,000 a year next week on the number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, could shed more light on the state of the labor market in so-called continuing claims dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 1.945 million during the week ending June 7. Recently laid off workers are struggling to find work.
