Why would a small town in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila have a long history of celebrating Juneteenth? It began after Black Seminole Indians were forced to join other tribes on the harrowing Trail of Tears in the mid-1800s.

The Equal Justice Initiative nonprofit invoked the Juneteenth holiday as it dedicated a monument that honors the people who endured and survived slavery.

Wednesday marked Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston and announced that enslaved people in the United States were free. San Antonio organizations honored the holiday with educational events, festivals and more.

Juneteenth celebrations, children’s book, Black-owned businesses, gospel choir performance & more.

A blistering heat wave stretching from the Midwest to the tip of Maine is leaving millions of people sweltering through the Juneteenth holiday.

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19.

Many Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were free.

The two people who died in a mass shooting at a Juneteenth concert in Round Rock over the weekend have been identified.

Most municipal offices in San Antonio will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in commemoration of Juneteenth.

Vaccines, veggies, and votes mark the fourth year of Juneteenth’s recognition as a federal holiday.

President Joe Biden has celebrated the Juneteenth holiday early with a concert on the White House South Lawn.

New Italian restaurant, Father’s Day gifts, cool treats, local music, summer skincare & more.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston and announced that enslaved people in the United States were free.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has designated Juneteenth as a holiday for state executive branch workers.

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that county political maps in the home of Juneteenth discriminate against Black and Latino residents.

If you're squeezing in one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend, expect lots of company.

Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” is among the inductees for the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday.

From a block party in New York City to a movie screening outside of Denver, groups across the U.S. have found ways to merge Pride month and Juneteenth celebrations.

From a block party in New York City to a movie screening outside of Denver, groups across the U.S. have found ways to merge Pride month and Juneteenth celebrations.

The White House hosted their first-ever Juneteenth celebration this week. County Commissioner Tommy Calvert was in attendance.

Players tee off for a good cause at the Juneteenth Annual Golf Tournament at the Club at Sonterra.

Southern peach cobbler for Juneteenth, Cocktail Crafthaus Co., gospel choir performance, Insider Deals & more!

Although it's a federal holiday, there is still a lot more we need know about this historical event.

As an East Side community newspaper since 1995, the San Antonio Observer has not only covered events like Juneteenth. It has also taken on politics, controversies and news of interest to its expanding readership.

The Boston Red Sox are among the teams in major league baseball commemorating Juneteenth.

As we prepare to commemorate Juneteenth on Monday, women in San Antonio are reflecting on how the CROWN Act law will prohibit discrimination based on hair texture.

Americans across the country are observing the relatively new Juneteenth federal holiday with festivals, parades, cookouts and other gatherings.

Relatives of a late Black businessman who helped popularize Juneteenth in San Diego are suing a cemetery after his remains were reported missing from the family’s burial plot.

Authorities say one person is dead and at least 22 are wounded in suburban Chicago after a shooting early Sunday during a large gathering in a strip mall parking lot.

This weekend has been filled with Juneteenth events to encourage people across the San Antonio community to celebrate freedom and unity.

Since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become more universally recognized beyond Black America.

In anticipation of extreme heat on Juneteenth, the City of San Antonio is opening 14 places for residents to stay cool.

Here are some of the events taking place around San Antonio honoring the legacy of Juneteenth.

Here is a list of city services that will be open, closed in commemoration of Juneteenth.

The driving force behind the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum has been its mission “to collect, preserve and share the cultural heritage of African-Americans in the San Antonio region,” according to its website.

President Joe Biden hosted a massive concert on the South Lawn of the White House to commemorate Juneteenth, the country’s newest federal holiday which the president said will “breathe a new life in the very essence of America.”.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host a Juneteenth concert in a “celebration of community, culture and music.”.

Eva Longoria’s Flamin’ Hot, SAAACAM’s Juneteenth gospel performance, a murder mystery event series, Fredericksburg Craft Beer Festival and more.

A Texas woman who helped make Juneteenth a federal holiday has become the second Black Texan honored with a portrait on the walls of the state’s Senate chamber.

We're featuring local, Black-owned businesses from a cheesesteak food truck to a BBQ shop on the East side in honor of the Juneteenth holiday.

A new study on breast cancer mortality rates shows that a lack of health care access still exists for Black communities.

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday. It’s the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was added.

The rejection rate of mail-in ballots in Texas went from less than 2% to more than 12% under SB 1

As the United States marks only the second federally recognized Juneteenth, Black Americans living overseas have embraced the holiday as a day of reflection and an opportunity to educate people in their host countries on Black history.

Thousands gathered on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth, the holiday that marks the day in 1865 when Texas slaves learned they had been freed.

The effort to officially celebrate Juneteenth as a paid holiday has faced skepticism inside legislatures that have largely chosen symbolic gestures to recognize the holiday while curtailing certain conversations on race and racism.

The San Antonio African-American Community Archive and Museum has partnered with IKEA for a new mural-style exhibit celebrating Juneteenth that is displayed inside the IKEA Live Oak location.

Here’s a list of some of the events going on in the San Antonio area in June.

A bill that would allow state employees to take the Juneteenth holiday or any other day instead of Confederate Memorial Day has unanimously passed the South Carolina Senate.

When she was 12, her childhood home was burned to the ground by white neighbors on June 19, 1939, because her family was Black.

It’s almost time for Independence Day and that means the retail sale of fireworks has officially reopened in Texas.

June may almost be over, but there's no shortage of quirky national day events to add to your agenda.

Now that Juneteenth is officially a federal holiday, many celebrations were underway this weekend in the City of San Antonio and across the nation.

Juneteenth bill signed into law making the historical date a national holiday

Parades, picnics and lessons in history are all part of Juneteenth events in the U.S. The day is carrying even more significance after Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery.

Black Americans are rejoicing after President Joe Biden signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

Metro Health has issued a heat advisory for Juneteenth weekend, as temperatures are expected to reach between 97-99 degrees and 104 degrees on Monday in the San Antonio area.

Juneteenth is coming up, this weekend in fact -- and for those who might be unfamiliar, the holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

While many Americans have a vast array of knowledge about Juneteenth, others don’t know as much about the holiday and the history behind it.

The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

President Joe Biden has signed legislation Thursday establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, saying he believes it will go down as one of the greatest honors he has as president.

The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

The bill was passed in both chambers with wide support.

Most of us are aware of Juneteenth, in that it exists, but there is so much history to know about the celebration.

It’s an occasion that’s recognized in most states and the District of Columbia, but it’s not as of yet a federal holiday.

The Senate has passed a bill that would make Juneteenth, or June 19th, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

The 90-minute event will feature community leaders discussing the Juneteenth holiday and what it means to them personally, as well as the relevance to the organizations they run.

San Antonio non-profit Black Freedom Factory is on a mission to cultivate racial equity across the city. The organization plans to hold an event Thursday known as the Future is Freedom: Juneteenth celebration.

Did you realize that Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States?

“Ode to Juneteenth,” a freed slave’s story of celebration and hope, will be showcased by the Witte Museum on Freedom Day, June 9.

The connection between baseball and Juneteenth might seem thin at first, but the two are closely connected.

On Wednesday, June 9 at 7 p.m., KSAT 12 anchors Isis Romero and Steve Spriester will host Trinity University History Professor Carey Latimore for the livestreamed town hall.

This year marks the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth, the day enslaved Texans were officially proclaimed free, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.

Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved Black people learned they had been freed, is often celebrated by families across the nation -- with events including cookouts, parades or community festivals.

He courted Hispanic voters near Miami and Black voters in Atlanta. “This is an unusual name for an organization whose ideology and tactics are right now destroying many Black lives,” Trump charged. On Friday morning, at his golf club in Doral, Florida, Trump tried to blunt Biden’s support among Hispanic voters at a “Latinos for Trump” roundtable. But a Monmouth University poll also conducted this month found Biden well ahead of Trump among Latino voters in the state, 58% to 32%. Hispanic voters in Florida tend to be somewhat more Republican-leaning than Hispanic voters nationwide because of the state’s Cuban American population, which Trump acknowledged several times in his remarks.

A person holds up a sign advocating for defunding the police as people gather to mark Juneteenth, Friday, June 19, 2020, in St. Louis. An outgrowth of the Defund the Police movement, the WFP Justice Fund is led by the Working Families Party and the Movement for Black Lives Electoral Justice Project. The result, they said, would be a shift in local government budgets and public safety systems around the country. For example, in Chicago's 2019 elections, WFP helped increase the council's Progressive Caucus to 18 seats out of the 50 total. In Washington, D.C., city council candidate Janeese Lewis George, backed by the Working Families Party, toppled an incumbent Democrat on a defunding platform and is in line to claim the seat in November.

FILE - In this June 19, 2020, file photo, protesters wear protective masks as they march after a Juneteenth rally outside the Brooklyn Museum, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. A loose network of Facebook groups that took root across the country in April to organize protests over coronavirus stay-at-home orders has become a hub of misinformation and conspiracies theories that have pivoted to a variety of new targets. Their latest: Black Lives Matter and the nationwide protests against racial injustice. (AP Photo/John Minchillo

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)LOS ANGELES The Black national anthem was born more than a century ago, but the popular hymn within the African American community called Lift Every Voice and Sing has resurrected a beacon of hope during nationwide protests. The NAACP dubbed Lift Every Voice and Sing as the Black national anthem in 1919. Sharpton said the ability of Lift Every Voice and Sing enduring several generations speaks volumes. The NFL will play Lift Every Voice and Sing" before each game during Week 1, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press. There's always been the controversy about race being involved in the national anthem.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Two people were killed and seven others were wounded in an early Monday shooting in North Carolina's largest city, police said, while five others were hit by vehicles. The shooting happened at an impromptu block party" that was a continuation of Juneteenth celebrations, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Deputy Chief Johnny Jennings told reporters. Another victim was pronounced dead at a hospital; no further information about the second fatality was released. The conditions of the seven people wounded in the shooting weren't immediately clear. Juneteenth, for which celebrations started Friday, commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free 155 years ago.

Years after her shocking exit from Sleepy Hollow, Nicole Beharie is opening up about the circumstances surrounding her departure. Sleepy Hollow returned for a fourth season without Beharie, but was ultimately cancelled. In an interview with the New York Timeswhile promoting her new film, Miss Juneteenth, Beharie admitted that she's shied away from speaking about her exit from Sleepy Hollow, saying, "I never wanted to talk about this until the resentment and bitterness was out of my system." Beharie in 'Miss Juneteenth.' RELATED CONTENT:Nicole Beharie on the Unexpected Timeliness of 'Miss Juneteenth''Sleepy Hollow': Abbie Gives Ichabod Dating Pointers!

Jason Mraz is honoring Juneteenth by donating all of the profits from his new album to Black Lives Matter and other organizations working toward equality and justice. The two-time Grammy winner released "Look For The Good" on Friday, the same day that African-Americans celebrate the black community's emancipation from slavery in the United States. The self-proclaimed "Geek in the Pink" will immediately start by donating his $250,000 advance on royalties, he said in a news release. The first six organizations to receive a portion of his donation are Black Lives Matter, San Diego Young Artists Music Academy, RISE San Diego, Grassroots Law Project, Center on Policy Initiatives, and the Equal Justice Initiative. Every year, the artist will choose various organizations that work on advancing “equality and justice” to receive donations from the album’s profits.

President Donald Trump quickly tweeted about the toppling, calling out D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and writing: The DC police are not doing their job as they watched a statue be ripped down and burn. After the statue fell, most protesters returned peacefully to Lafayette Park near the White House. The Pike statue has been a source of controversy over the years. The former Confederate general was also a longtime influential leader of the Freemasons, who revere Pike and who paid for the statue. Ever since 1992, members of the DC Council have been calling on the federal govt to remove the statue of Confederate Albert Pike (a federal memorial on federal land).

San Antonio Carey Latimore, associate professor and historian at Trinity University, talked with KSATs Steve Spriester and Myra Arthur about the history of Juneteenth as a holiday in America. Related: Google joins nationwide celebration of JuneteenthFrom then on, formerly enslaved people celebrated June 19 as Juneteenth, marking their freedom. Latimore said that Juneteenth ebbs and flows in popularity, but American people are identifying with the holiday because of peoples relationships with race and society. I think weve reached a point in our society that were starting to question our relationship with race and to question ways in which we really have a question, Latimore said. Do black lives matter in the same way as other lives?'

The singer's website says the song released late Friday, June 19, 2020, will benefit black-owned small businesses. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)TOP OF THE HOUR: Beyonc releases new single to benefit Black-owned small businesses. Nevada officials renew proposal to remove statue of McCarran. ___LOS ANGELES Beyonc did not let Juneteenth pass without dropping one of her signature surprises in the form a new single called Black Parade.The singers website says the song released late Friday will benefit Black-owned small businesses. Make America great again give me the date that America was great for everybody, Sharpton said.

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)MINNEAPOLIS A special session of the Minnesota Legislature ended Saturday without agreement on remaking policing in the state where George Floyd was killed. I'm deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans ended the special session before our job was done," Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent tweeted. Were not walking away from Minnesota here, but I think we could all benefit from a breather, Gazelka said just before adjournment, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. The special session was necessary for Democratic Gov. If Walz seeks to extend his emergency powers an additional 30 days, he's required to call another special session for July 12 to let lawmakers object.

The empowering track, titled "Black Parade," touches on the world's current events, as well as celebrates Black excellence. "'Black Parade' celebrates you, your voice and your joy and will benefit Black-owned small businesses." Black joy is your right." Additionally, "Black Parade" benefits BeyGOOD's Black Business Impact Fund, administered by the National Urban League, to support Black-owned small businesses in need. On the "Love on Top" singer's website, fans are also redirected to a page with more information on the companies.

SAN ANTONIO – The Witte Museum on Friday announced that the play “Ode to Juneteenth” will be brought back as part of the Gallery Theater performances that will be shown this fall. The play, written by nationally renowned playwright Eugene Lee, was first shown in 2018 as part of the Witte’s “Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History”. The museum said they were bringing the play back in celebration of Juneteenth. According to a press release, “Ode to Juneteenth” follows Emancipation Jones, who begins the play by illuminating and commemorating Juneteenth in San Antonio by the reading of General Order No. The daily schedule of Gallery Theater and daily demonstrations can be found on both the Witte’s website and their app.

Juneteenth, which takes place June 19 each year, is the name for the date in 1865 when Union soldiers freed the remaining slaves in Texas, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation.

A pedestrian passes a colorful painted tribute to George Floyd on a boarded-up business, Thursday, June 18, 2020 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)TOP OF THE HOUR:— Nevada officials renew proposal to remove statue of McCarran. The organization said the letter was inspired by the recent protests against police brutality and systemic racism. St. Louis and its surrounding suburbs have been the site of dozens of marches in the nearly four weeks since the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. A small African American boy, marching with his mom, held a sign that read, “Am I next?”___More news about the death of George Floyd at https://apnews.com/GeorgeFloyd

Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, originated 155 years ago. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP, File)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. YOUNG IMMIGRANTS STILL FACE UNCERTAINTY The Supreme Court rejected Trumps effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants, but activists say legislation giving them a path to U.S. citizenship remains elusive. SINGAPORE OPENS GYMS, DINING OUT The latest relaxation in the city-state comes as reopenings in many places around the world are touching off fresh spikes in coronavirus infections. BIDEN SEIZES ON BOLTON BOOK The Democrats top aides say Trump kowtowed to Xi Jinping and ignored human rights abuses while trying to get the Chinese presidents assistance with domestic politics.

For the past three months, the coronavirus has disproportionately sickened and killed black Texans, and for the last month protesters have filled the streets marching for racial justice. Juneteenth is a celebration that honors the day black Texans learned of their emancipation from Union soldiers in Galveston on June 19, 1865. Bob Daemmrich/The Image WorksCrystal Aitaegbebhunu and her studio partners run through their choreography for a Juneteenth black empowerment video at Emancipation Park on June 15, 2020. Last: Crystal Aitaegbebhunu and her studio partners run through their choreography for a Juneteenth black empowerment video at Emancipation Park on June 15, 2020. For her five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, shell do an oral retelling of moments in black history, their family lineage and the meaning of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is capturing the attention of many across the nation and Google is also taking part in this years celebration. For this years Juneteenth celebration, Google has created several online projects that will commemorate the occasion. You can ask the devices questions such as, Hey Google, whats Juneteenth? or Hey Google, Happy Juneteenth, or even Hey Google, tell me a random word, and the device will respond with words such as microagression, prejudice and racialization, according to Google officials. Here are the other ways Google is celebrating Juneteenth:Google Arts & Culture and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History are debuting a and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History are debuting a new exhibit on the historical legacy of Juneteenth, according to Google officials. Tune in Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. for a livestream with Dr. Carey Latimore, a professor of African American Studies at Trinity University.

NEW YORK A never-before-heard solo version of the late Aretha Franklins riveting and powerful collaboration with Mary J. Blige about faith and race, 2006s Never Gonna Break My Faith, has arrived on Juneteenth. Never Gonna Break My Faith resonates today, featuring lyrics like: You can lie to a child with a smiling face/Tell me that color aint about a race.The world is very different now. It deserves to be an anthem.Never Gonna Break My Faith won best gospel performance at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, marking Franklins 18th and final Grammy win. This solo version has been sitting on my computer for years, and when I heard Clive was making a film on Arethas life, I sent this version to him. Im so glad its being released, the world needs this right now.

Usher is using his platform to talk about the importance of Juneteenth, specifically, why it should be recognized as an official national holiday. In an op-ed for The Washington Post published on Friday, Usher advocates to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. "Recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday would be a small gesture compared with the greater social needs of black people in America. On Friday, Usher urged his followers on Twitter to sign a Change.org petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Make Juneteenth A National Holiday!

SAN ANTONIO Local organizers have planned a Juneteenth march and rally in San Antonio to commemorate when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free in 1865. Demonstrators will march east down Martin Luther King Drive to the Freedom Bridge near MLK Park. Organizers say they are marching to make Juneteenth a federal holiday while remembering emancipation. According to the Associated Press, Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states without official recognition of the holiday. It is recognized in 47 states but is not yet a federal holiday.

The date - June 19th - is not a federal holiday, and many non-black Americans have only recently become of aware of the day. Several of her employees are spending the day volunteering for the Juneteenth Freedom Phonebank, an initiative encouraging Census participation. Declaring the date a federal holiday would add considerable momentum, and there is growing support for the idea. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, introduced legislation Thursday to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. In contrast, 93% of employers close on Independence day, with similar rates for Labor Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.

SAN ANTONIO Happy Freedom Friday! Today on SA Live, the history behind Juneteenth and what it means in our community with information from the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum. We revisit Jens interview with the Freedom Riders, who share their experience during the civil rights movement. Also, the San Antonio Public Library shares great reads for kids who want to learn about social injustice, acceptance and civil rights. Stream the show anytime from the KSAT TV app on Roku, Fire Stick, your smart TV or your smartphone.

SAN ANTONIO President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but it wasnt until June 19th, 1865, that Union soldiers landed at Galveston with news that the enslaved were free. Now that day, Juneteenth, is a nationally celebration commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Its a history of our lives and where we have come from, said friend of the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAACAM) Charla Hutchens, and it reflects our joyousness of being free, to be a free person, to not be enslaved.There are some business people here in San Antonio on the East Side that organize a parade. It usually starts over on Houston Street past East Sam Houston High School, Susan Glosson, friend of SAACAM, said. You can find more information on how San Antonio is celebrating Juneteenth 2020 in this article.