Juneteenth (also known as Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day) commemorates the date – June 19, 1865 – when enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free. This was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. In communities across America, Juneteenth is an opportunity to honor the lives of our ancestors, to celebrate the culture and contributions of Black Americans and to recommit to the work of ensuring equity and justice for all.