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LGBTQ+ Pride Month

June is Pride Month in the United States, a month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and communities.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the end of slavery. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which ordered the freedom of enslaved African Americans in the Confederate states, the Civil War waged on until April 1865. Freedom did not reach all enslaved people immediately and enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation depended on the advancement of the Union Army throughout the southern states.

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, announcing that all enslaved people were free. Juneteenth is observed annually on June 19 to honor this historic milestone. It became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when Former President Joe Biden signed it into law.

Check out the short video below for more on the history behind Juneteenth!

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