Americans celebrate Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Monday marks America’s newest federal holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States: Juneteenth.

On June 19, 1865, some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people were finally free by executive decree.

The popularity of the holiday has become noticeable in recent years with its growing commercialism and celebrations across the nation.

There are several factors to consider, including the historical significance of the day and what that means to millions of Americans.

Though Juneteenth’s status as a national holiday can’t be denied, there are still a few challenges to the holiday’s designation.

While more than half of the nation’s states recognize the holiday, many still don’t.

The holiday has been celebrated for generations in Black communities. But with notable instances of racial injustices in the spotlight coupled with the deepening political polarization, Juneteenth has been thrust further into national and cultural prominence.

“We only recently really started celebrating Juneteenth a lot. The past couple years. so it’s a big deal.”

Public awareness of Juneteenth grew starkly in 2020 amid nationwide protests after the police killings of several black Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The push to have Juneteenth become a national holiday quickly followed.

The holiday was approved in a unanimous Senate vote in 2021 before passing through the House and ultimately being signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The lawmakers who stood against it argued the holiday was divisive or that it was too costly.

Now, nearly three years later, just over half of the nation — 28 states and the District of Columbia — will legally recognize the holiday.

And from classrooms to Capitol Hill, conversations about race have taken center stage.

Over the last three years, policymakers in 45 states have proposed nearly 300 laws restricting what teachers can teach about race, racism and American history.

Many of these laws include language that would forbid any teachings that could cause a student to feel “anguish, guilt or any other form of psychological distress” because of their race.

Black scholars argue Juneteenth is an important date to tell the entire history of the U.S. — even its darkest chapters of violence and slavery.

“That’s a part of our history. We have to remember it, we have to respect it, but we want to reflect on that so that future generations don’t make the same mistakes.”

Meanwhile, Juneteenth celebrations can be seen all across the country.

Americans of all different backgrounds come together to look back at the past while celebrating how far we’ve come as a nation.

“For us to all come together and just to celebrate us. I just feel like everyone should join because you would learn so much.”

Nearly 40% of U.S. employers now provide Juneteenth as a paid holiday, which is a significant increase from just 9% two years ago.

And the same goes for commercializing the holiday.

The U.S. tends to commercialize its holidays, and Juneteenth has been no exception.

Whether it’s themed T-shirts, decorations or even companies temporarily changing their logo to participate in the holiday, it’s all becoming common practice.