Juneteenth Now Officially a Federal Holiday

Congress Passes Legislation, President Biden Signs into Law

First New Federal Holiday Since Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Washington, D.C. - President Biden has signed into law legislation establishing Juneteenth National Independence Day as a federal holiday in the United States. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is celebrated annually on June 19th.

Juneteenth became the latest federal holiday in the US and the first to be approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. The legislation was passed by Congress on June 16, 2021.

"One of my proudest moments as President was signing into law Juneteenth as a new Federal holiday," said President Biden. "The first Federal holiday to be created since the Martin Luther King Holiday almost 40 years ago."