What to know about Juneteenth and why people are talking about it now
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.