Juneteenth (June 19) Made a Federal Holiday

President Biden signed legislation into law on Thursday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, establishing June 19 as the national day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday is a part of his administration’s efforts to address racial equity throughout the federal government The measure was passed in the House and Senate with bipartisan support. The law went into effect immediately on Friday, June 18, 2021. The federal Office of Personnel Management announced that most federal employees would observe the holiday on Friday and so forth each coming year. Skyline Education will recognize and commemorate Juneteenth as a federal holiday into current and future school calendars.

Juneteenth’s history commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Its name memorializes June 19, 1865, when  General Order No. 3 announced that in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, “all slaves are free.” Shortly after the 13th Amendment was ratified. this officially abolished slavery in the final four border states that had not been subjected to President Abraham Lincoln’s order.