The first Juneteenth celebrations date back to 1866 in Texas, more than a year after the Civil War was officially declared over. But it wasn’t until 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, that the day was recognized as a federal holiday.
Ray Black is an associate professor of ethnic studies focusing on African American studies, including representations of Black life in the slave narratives and other 19th century documents.
Ahead of the Monday holiday, Black spoke to SOURCE about the origins of Juneteenth and how people can celebrate it all year long.