Originating in Galveston and recognized nationwide as a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth commemorates the 1865 liberation of the last community of enslaved Black people in Texas.

Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is widely considered the longest-running African-American holiday and America’s second Independence Day. It is often celebrated with community festivals and the sharing of familial traditions.

Some descendants of enslaved people even participate in pilgrimage to Galveston, where Union Major General Gordon Granger at last informed their ancestors of their emancipation two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

In observance of Juneteenth, HISD schools and offices will be closed on Monday, June 19. The district will reopen on Tuesday, June 20.