Monday, June 19 marks Juneteenth, which has now been recognized as a federal holiday for three years. The state of Alabama and Tallapoosa County also have approved Juneteenth as a holiday for both state and county employees. 

The origins of Juneteenth stem from the date June 19, 1865 — when news of Abraham Lincoln’s now famous Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Texan soil.Â