An 11th federal holiday was added on June 19, 2021.
Juneteenth was first recognized last year after president Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. June 19, 1865 marks the day when African American slaves in Galveston, Texas, were among the last to be told they had been freed.
For reference, 1865 was over two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery and two months after the Civil War ended.
