Juneteenth National Independence Day

noun

variants or less commonly Juneteenth Independence Day

: June 19 observed as a legal holiday in the United States in commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. : juneteenth

Note: Juneteenth National Independence Day became a U.S. federal holiday in 2021. The holiday is also called Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Jubilee Day.

Examples of Juneteenth National Independence Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The days where guests gain free entrance are: January 15 (Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.); April 20 (First day of National Park Week); June 19 (Juneteenth National Independence Day); August 4 (Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act; September 28. —Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 12 Dec. 2023

Labor Day is the seventh postal holiday, following New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr., President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day and Independence Day. —Leada Gore | [e-mail], al, 4 Sep. 2023

There have already been five postal holidays this year: New Year’s Day (Jan. 2); Martin Luther King Jr. birthday (Jan. 16); President’s Day (Feb. 20); Memorial Day (May 29); and Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19). —Leada Gore | [e-mail], al, 4 July 2023

Its proper name reflects that: Juneteenth National Independence Day, as decreed in the bill President Biden signed two years ago to authorize the federal holiday. —Jamil Smith, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023

President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in June 2021, making June 19 a federal holiday. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 18 June 2023

Answering public calls for federal recognition that grew throughout 2020 and into 2021, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to establish Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal, public holiday, despite some initial pushback from Republican lawmakers. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 18 June 2023

The day was officially designated as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. —Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 14 June 2023

While Black Americans, specifically those in Galveston and its surrounding areas, celebrated Juneteenth since its inception, the holiday was not recognized federally until President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in June 2021. —Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 13 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above