Juneteenth 2025: Significance, celebration and everything you need to know

The Juneteenth National Independence Day falls on June 19, and on this day in 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with 2,000 troops to enforce the emancipation of 250,000 enslaved Black people.

This came two and a half years after President Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, delayed by Texas’s remote location and resistance to ending slavery. While the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery nationwide, June 19 became a symbolic "Independence Day" for Black Americans.

In 2021, after decades of advocacy led by activists like Opal Lee, Juneteenth became the US’s newest federal holiday. President Biden, during his tenure, declared this as a new federal holiday, and America's Second Independence Day.

Why do we celebrate Juneteenth?

The US celebrates Juneteenth to honor both liberation and resilience. While the Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people free in Confederate states, it relied on Union enforcement. Texas, largely untouched by Union troops until 1865, became the final frontier for emancipation. But Juneteenth isn’t just about the past. As scholar Angela Davis notes, it’s a day to recognize "progress" while confronting America’s "distance we have to travel" toward justice. It embodies the unyielding hope of a people who transformed trauma into community, education, and cultural pride, a legacy that fuels ongoing struggles for equality.

How to Celebrate Juneteenth?

Celebrating Juneteenth blends reflection, joy, and action. Here’s how to engage culturally:

• Attending local events: Join festivals, parades, concerts, parades and events featuring music, fireworks, and family activities. These gatherings, rooted in 1866 Texas church services, emphasize community resilience.
• Read and attain knowledge: Read works by Maya Angelou or Frederick Douglass, listen to “Lift Every Voice and Sing." Host a barbecue with red foods—strawberry soda, watermelon, or hibiscus tea, symbolizing ancestral sacrifice and West African heritage.
• Educate and Advocate: Visit museums (many offer free entry), research family histories via the Freedmen’s Bureau, or volunteer. As civil rights leader John Lewis urged, use the day to “make good trouble.”

Juneteenth wishes for friends and family

Share these heartfelt messages with your loved ones, or patriots who have a history of sacrifice towards America to honor this federal holiday:

• "Happy Juneteenth! Today, we celebrate the fierce hope of those who waited, the courage of those who fought, and the joy of freedom that belongs to us all. Let’s honor their legacy by building a future where every voice is heard."
• "May we keep learning, rising, and lifting each other. Wishing you pride in our history and power in our progress."
• “Sending love this Freedom Day! As Maya Angelou wrote, ‘You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise.’ Let’s celebrate resilience today, and every day.”
• “Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is a journey we walk together. Thank you for being part of mine. Let’s grill some red velvet cake, crank up the soul music, and toast to the ancestors tonight!”

• "Wishing you a meaningful Juneteenth. Remember: Nobody’s free until everybody’s free. Let’s keep pushing for justice with joy in our hearts."