JUNETEENTH DAY OF OBSERVANCE, 2024
JUNETEENTH DAY OF OBSERVANCE, 2024 - - - - - - - By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation On June 19, 1865, freedom finally came for the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas. That day, which would become known as Juneteenth, the Army arrived to enforce what had already been the law of the land for two and a half years -- the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, we recognize that Juneteenth not only marks the end of America's original sin of slavery but also the beginning of the work at the heart and soul of our Nation: making the promise of America real for every American. One of my proudest moments as President was signing into law Juneteenth as a new Federal holiday -- the first Federal holiday to be established since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day four decades prior. Juneteenth is an acknowledgment of the truth of our Nation's history. It is about realizing the id...