The City of Jacksonville will recognize Juneteenth, which is also known as Emancipation Day, during a ceremony in the City Hall Atrium on Tuesday.

With Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday last year, many people are now celebrating the significance of the day.

Many state and local federal offices will be closed -- along with banks and other businesses.

Several artists including Bun B, Lupe Fiasco and 6LACK have recorded songs honoring Juneteenth for Apple Music.

Congress and President Joe Biden acted with unusual swiftness this week in approving Juneteenth as a national holiday.

It’s an occasion that’s recognized in most states and the District of Columbia, but it’s not as of yet a federal holiday.

The June 19 holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia mark June 19 as a state holiday or observance. But -- despite a push by activists over the years -- Juneteenth still isn't a federal holiday. What Juneteenth isJuneteenth -- a blending of the words June and nineteenth -- is the oldest regular US celebration of the end of slavery. Juneteenth has been celebrated informally since 1865, but Texas became the first state to make it a state holiday in 1980.