Juneteenth honors the day the last Confederate community of 250,000 enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, received word that they have been freed. 2 years and 5 months after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. On June 19, 1872, community leaders saved $1,000 to purchase land in 1872, that would be devoted specifically to Juneteenth celebrations. That land became Emancipation Park. Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth in 1980, calling it “Emancipation Day.” On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth National Independence Act, established June 19th as a federal holiday.