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Photos: Americans Celebrate Juneteenth After It Becomes A National Holiday

By Elena Moore
Published June 19, 2021 at 7:12 PM EDT

Juneteenth celebrations are underway across the United States, commemorating the 156th anniversary of the date that is often considered the end of chattel slavery in the country.

Events this year come two days after President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, which is the latest national holiday to be recognized since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

It dates to June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that enslaved people were now free. This came two months after the end of the Civil War and over two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which was supposed to free all slaves living in Confederate states.

The holiday has gone on to be a cause for celebration, remembrance and a call to action as Americans continue to reckon with the country's history of systemic racism.

Commemorative events ranging from festivals and celebrations to rallies and memorials are expected to take place throughout the weekend.

Galveston

Brooklyn

Tulsa

Marlon F. Hall leads a yoga class next to Interstate 244, which runs through the Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood, the location of the <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/1001433852/the-tulsa-race-massacre">Tulsa Race Massacre</a> 100 years ago. Tulsa's celebration of Juneteenth comes less than three weeks after the anniversary.
Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Marlon F. Hall leads a yoga class next to Interstate 244, which runs through the Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood, the location of the Tulsa Race Massacre 100 years ago. Tulsa's celebration of Juneteenth comes less than three weeks after the anniversary.

Louisville

Detroit

A mural displaying the words "Power To The People" is repainted in honor of Juneteenth by students studying at the University Prep Art Design. The mural was first painted last year for the holiday.
Ed White / AP
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AP
A mural displaying the words "Power To The People" is repainted in honor of Juneteenth by students studying at the University Prep Art Design. The mural was first painted last year for the holiday.

Atlanta

Boston

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Acting Mayor Kim Janey, right, takes a photo as Bostonians gather together on Friday in Nubian Square. Janey is the first woman and first Black person to serve as mayor of Boston.
Elise Amendola / AP
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AP
Acting Mayor Kim Janey, right, takes a photo as Bostonians gather together on Friday in Nubian Square. Janey is the first woman and first Black person to serve as mayor of Boston.
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Elena Moore
Elena Moore is a production assistant for the NPR Politics Podcast. She also fills in as a reporter for the NewsDesk. Moore previously worked as a production assistant for Morning Edition. During the 2020 presidential campaign, she worked for the Washington Desk as an editorial assistant, doing both research and reporting. Before coming to NPR, Moore worked at NBC News. She is a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is originally and proudly from Brooklyn, N.Y.
See stories by Elena Moore
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