June 19 marked the 135th annual Juneteenth – historically called Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day, which celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The date commemorates the anniversary of Union Army Gen. Gordon Grainger’s proclamation, which announced the freedom of enslaved people in the state of Texas, the final remaining state of the Confederacy with institutional slavery.

Until recent years, Juneteenth was recognized by only Black communities in America.