Gallaudet University is closed today in observance of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. Juneteenth commemorates the promise of emancipation and the enduring challenges that African Americans have faced, a journey that persists to this day. The first Juneteenth celebration occurred on June 19, 1866, a year after the announcement, and Texas became the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday in 1980. Today, almost all of the states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth in some form or another. Happy Juneteenth!