Today is Juneteenth

June 19, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today is Juneteenth. This is a federal and state holiday. Banks, schools, courthouses, government offices, and some businesses will be closed today in acknowledgement of the holiday celebrating the arrival of federal troops in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 2025 during the War Between the States. The federal troops brought the news that President Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves. While Lincoln - who was dead by this time - had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 - following the Union victory at Antietam. Maryland - most Blacks in Texas had not been informed of this information.

Today, U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL07) released the following statement celebrating Juneteenth:

"Today, we gather in the spirit of remembrance, resilience, and recommitment to celebrate a day of delayed liberation but undeniable triumph," Rep. Sewell said. "On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the last enslaved Black Americans were finally free."

"Freedom did not come easily. It came slowly, unevenly, and at a painful cost. But it came, and with it, generations of Black Americans began the long, unfinished journey towards full equality through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, the Voting Rights Movement, and even now, in our time," Sewell continued. "Juneteenth is not just about history; it's about truth telling. It is a reminder that freedom delayed is freedom fought for, and that liberation means more than just the breaking of physical chains. It demands justice in our laws, equity in our institutions, dignity in our labor, and respect in our schools, our neighborhoods, and in our nation."

"I'm wishing everyone in Alabama's 7th Congressional District a happy and meaningful Juneteenth celebration!" Sewell continued/

Watch Rep. Sewell's full speech on the House Floor here: