Enjoy this day of celebration, my friends.
On this day in 1865, news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas. This was 2-1/2 years after Abraham Lincoln had signed the document. Among others, Opal Lee of Forth Worth, Texas, fought long and hard to get Congress to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday. To raise awareness for the cause, at the age of 89, she walked from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington DC, traveling 2-1/2 miles each day.
President Biden signed the bill making Juneteenth a national holiday on June 17, 2021.