The holiday, which will take place annually on June 19, has been signed into law in order to remember the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
US President Joe Biden has signed Juneteenth into law, amid celebratory scenes at the White HouseImage: Evan Vucci/AP Photo/picture alliance
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US President Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Thursday, that makes June 19 a federal holiday — known as Juneteenth — as a way of commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
Juneteenth has long been a regional holiday in the South but was given added impetus to become an official nationwide holiday after the protests in 2020 over police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other African Americans.
Amid jubilant scenes at the White House, Biden agreed that more than just a commemoration of the events of June 19, 1865, was required.
"This day doesn't just celebrate the past. It calls for action today,'' the president said before he established Juneteenth National Independence Day.
His audience included some members of Congress and Opal Lee, a 94-year-old Texas woman who campaigned for the holiday.
President Biden made Juneteenth officially a holiday in front of 94-year-old Opal LeeImage: Evan Vucci/AP Photo/picture alliance
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is a blend of the words June and 19th and is also known as Emancipation Day.
It commemorates the day in 1865, after the Confederate states surrendered to end the Civil War, when a Union general arrived in Texas to inform a group of enslaved African Americans of their freedom under President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
Remembering George Floyd through street art
George Floyd's murder by police officer Derek Chauvin inspired street artists around the world to express their support with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Image: Octavio Jones/REUTERS
A global icon
Former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. The Black man's brutal death in May 2020 had sparked a worldwide movement of solidarity that was expressed through protests and art. This mural features George Floyd's face and the words, "I can breathe now," a reference to his last words as Chauvin was kneeling on his neck: "I can't breathe."
Image: Octavio Jones/REUTERS
Many faces, one message
Black Lives Matter: In Minneapolis, George Floyd's murder was followed by violent protests against police brutality toward African Americans. On this wall on Hennepin Avenue, the city commemorates not only George Floyd, but also African Americans Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and Philando Castile, who were also killed by police officers.
Image: Mark Hertzberg/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance
Street art in Gaza
George Floyd became a global figure, depicted in street art around the world. Here in Gaza City, a woman walks past a large mural linking Floyd to the Black Lives Matter movement. Chauvin, the police officer who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck, now faces
up to 40 years in jail after being found guilty on all murder charges.
Street art can also be used to mark a memorial site, as seen here in front of this painting of George Floyd, which was also set up in Minnesota in January 2021. Mourners left flowers and political messages in front of his portrait at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South, where Floyd died.
Image: Tim Evans/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Black Lives Matter in NYC
A temporary Black Lives Matter mural in Manhattan, New York City, displays names of Black people who have been victims of police violence. The Black Lives Matter protests raged around the country in the summer of 2020, gathering hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.
Image: picture alliance
An inauguration mural
In the US capital, Washington, multiple murals commemorate the Black Lives Matter movement and show the faces of those who have died in connection with police brutality. The use of the patriotic colors, red, white and blue, is particularly striking here.
Image: picture alliance
Remembering the victim
This work of street art featuring George Floyd's face is located in Venezuela, in the town of Valencia. It was commissioned by the city's mayor. The microphone is a reminder that Floyd had also made a name for himself as a rapper.
Image: Juan Carlos Hernandez/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance
'I can't breathe'
George Floyd died after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck on May 25, 2020. Throughout the 8-minute, 46-second incident, Floyd stated several times that he could not breathe. His last words were painted onto the artwork in Berlin's Mauerpark.
Image: Alexander Borais/Zoonar/picture alliance
A call for solidarity
In Cologne, Germany's fourth largest city, you can find this painting honoring the political struggle of the Black Lives Matter movement. In many major German cities in the summer of 2020, people took to the streets in solidarity with the BLM movement.
Image: Christoph Hardt/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance
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Where has it been celebrated?
Juneteenth began in Texas exactly one year later. And in 1980, the state officially declared it a holiday.
By 2020, it was recognized in 46 other states as well as the District of Columbia.
Rules regarding holidays and days of observance vary from state to state, according to the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, which campaigned for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday status.
So is it a big party?
Although in part a celebration, the day is also observed solemnly to honor those who suffered during slavery across the US, with the arrival of the first captive Africans over four centuries ago.
