Why Juneteenth is One of America's Most Important Holidays

Each year on June 19, the nation celebrates Juneteenth.Photo by(The author)

Banks and post offices will be closed today in honor of the Juneteenth holiday

New York, NY — "Why is Juneteenth so important?" someone asked me this morning on LinkedIn.

"Because..." I wrote, "the 19th of each June marks the day slaves learned they were finally free, but such news came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln had already signed the Emancipation Proclamation."

Can you imagine having been enslaved for your entire life, only to have woken up one morning with the shocking news — "Hey, by the way, you were freed years ago"?

Hearing such news would abruptly make anyone jump for joy.

Known as "Freedom Day," Juneteenth is unique. The reason being, while in one sense it's our nation's oldest celebration to commemorate the end of slavery, it's also America's youngest federal holiday.

"On June 19, 1865, freedom came for the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas," President Biden tweeted. "That day would become known as Juneteenth, the mark of the end of our original sin, slavery, and the beginning of our work to make the promise of America real – Not for some of us. But for all of us."

Because it's a national holiday, mail won't be delivered today in NYC, among other things. FedEx and UPS, however, will remain open.

Trash, recycling and compost also won't be collected. According to the New York City Parks website, all parks recreation centers will also be closed in honor of the national holiday.