Juneteenth Timeline

President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation would go into effect on January 1, 1863, promising freedom to enslaved people in Confederate states.

President Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, declaring freedom for all enslaved people in Confederate states not in Union hands.

Image source: Emancipation Proclamation

The first Juneteenth celebrations date back to 1866, initially involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas.

Freedmen in Texas organized the first annual commemorations of 'Jubilee Day' in 1867.

Image source: Juneteenth

Houston began holding large-scale Juneteenth celebrations again in 1974, reigniting the holiday's observance.

Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday by enacted law in 1980.

Activist Ben Haith created the Juneteenth flag in 1997, symbolizing the holiday and its significance.

The Juneteenth flag was first hoisted in Boston in 2000 at the Roxbury Heritage State Park by activist Ben Haith.

Image source: Juneteenth flag

The first federal legislation to recognize 'Juneteenth Independence Day' was introduced in the U.S. in 1996.

By 2016, 45 states in the U.S. were recognizing Juneteenth as a significant occasion.

In June 2019, Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf recognized Juneteenth as a holiday in the state.

In 2020, several major universities formally recognized Juneteenth, either as a 'day of reflection' or as a university holiday with paid time off for faculty and staff.

In 2020, New York City formally recognized Juneteenth as an annual official city holiday and public school holiday, starting in 2021.

Hawaii became the 49th state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday on June 16, 2021.

The United Nations designated August 31 as the International Day for People of African Descent since 2021, recognizing Juneteenth globally.

President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in 2021, recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, becoming the eleventh American federal holiday.

The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was passed on June 17, 2021, making Juneteenth the eleventh American federal holiday and the first to obtain legal observance as a federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a bill in May 2022 changing the state's ceremonial observance of Juneteenth to a state holiday, making it the 11th state holiday in Colorado.

South Dakota became the last state to recognize Juneteenth as an annual state holiday or observance in February 2022.