Join the effort to declare Juneteenth a national federal holiday.

Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) is the day all slaves were proclaimed free. Union general Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, declaring all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them almost two and a half years earlier, and the American Civil War had largely ended with the defeat of the Confederate States in April, Texas was the most remote of the slave states, with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent.

This day in our history was nearly 90 years after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Independence Day commemorates America’s freedom on a day when not all African-Americans were given that same freedom, and for this reason LAFC and many others understand the importance of Juneteenth. Now we need the nation to do the same. Support this initiative. Our goal is 100,000 signatures. Please sign the petition and spread the word.