Juneteenth celebrations will commence across the nation! On Sunday, June 19, Americans will observe the nation's youngest federal holiday – Juneteenth, which became officially recognized last year by President Joe Biden. The holiday commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation in the U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation to free enslaved African Americans in secessionist states on January 1, 1863, but enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, would not learn of their freedom until two years later. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed the community of Galveston of Lincoln's proclamation. Though it was issued years prior, enslavers were held responsible for telling the enslaved they were free, and some ignored the directive. Maj. Gen. Gordon demanded Galveston locals comply with the proclamation. Juneteenth came to national prominence in 2020 amid nationwide protests after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. See more images from the Juneteenth celebrations by clicking the link in our bio. 📸: Joe Raedle, Getty; Kareem Elgazza, Cincinnati Enquirer; Susan Walsh, AP; Yalonda M. James, AP; Amanda McCoy, AP; David Dee Delgado, Getty; Michael B. Thomas, Getty; Megan Varner, Getty; Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, AP; Ebony Cox, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel