Today, June 19th, marks the annual commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. #Juneteenth was established as a holiday in 1866 and has been celebrated each year since. In 2021, it was declared a federal holiday and is often referred to as our nation’s second independence day. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in #GalvestonBay, #Texas, to announce the freedom of enslaved people in the state, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. While the Emancipation Proclamation had freed enslaved people in Confederate states, it was not fully enforced in all areas until the arrival of Union troops. 💯 •aintyoumalcom