People across the country are celebrating Juneteenth National Independence Day.
The big picture: The date, June 19, memorializes when some of the last enslaved people in Texas learned about their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865.
- President Biden on Thursday signed into law legislation making Juneteenth the newest federal holiday.
- Many Americans have annually commemorated the anniversary long before the official recognition.
Go deeper: Juneteenth forces U.S. to confront lasting impact of slavery economy
In photos:
River City Drum Corps leads a march for the Juneteenth commencement of On the Banks of Freedom in Louisville, Ky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Terrance Floyd at the unveiling of a statute dedicated to his brother George Floyd at Flatbush Junction on June 19, 2021, in Brooklyn. Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
Celebrations in Harlem, New York City. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Participants practice yoga during a community yoga class alongside Interstate 244 during the Juneteenth Festival in Tulsa, Okla. Photo: Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images
A father and son take a selfie at the Black Wall Street Memorial during the Juneteenth Festival in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Okla. Photo: Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images
A young person writes Juneteenth on a wall in chalk during the All Nations Worship Assembly Russell Neighborhood Juneteenth Celebration in Louisville, Ky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Dancers of the P.U.S.H. (Practice Until Something Happens) dance team preform at a Juneteenth rally at the Brooklyn Library. Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at the event as a new Federal Holiday ''Juneteenth'' is celebrated in the heart of Harlem, New York City. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Women pose for a photo before entering a neighborhood Juneteenth celebration in Louisville, Ky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images