Today is Juneteenth in the U.S.! It's a holiday we've celebrated in Texas for a long time, and it became a federal holiday in 2021.
For those unfamiliar with the history:
During the U.S. Civil War, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863. It declared that enslaved people in the Confederate states were to be freed. (Yes, slavery was still permitted in Union states—probably as a political move to keep those states from joining the Confederacy.)
Meanwhile, many Southern areas, especially remote ones like Texas, remained under Confederate control, and enslavers simply ignored the news.
Juneteenth marks the day—June 19, 1865—when Union troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, and enforced emancipation, freeing a large group (around 250,000) of enslaved people still under Confederate rule.
Although slavery continued in a few Union states until later that year when the 13th amendment was ratified, Juneteenth has come to symbolize the practical end of slavery in the U.S.—and a celebration of the freedom and resilience of Black Americans.
It marks a huge turning point in the nation’s effort to live up to its own ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for everyone on our soil.
I'll share more in the comments on personal impact.