

And we are helping to close the Black wealth gap by fostering a culture of inclusion, enhancing career opportunities, identifying and reducing race-based barriers to department services, and enforcing nondiscrimination policies. We also recognize the work that remains to be done to fulfill our nation’s promise of equal rights for all.Īt the Department of Labor, we are passionate about empowering the Black community. We celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Americans who have fought for liberty and democracy throughout our history. Today, we commemorate Juneteenth as our newest federal holiday, thanks to bipartisan legislation signed by President Biden in 2021.
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On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln declared all enslaved people free, Major General Gordon Granger and Union army troops marched to Galveston to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas. For three years, even after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved Black Americans in Texas remained in harsh bondage, unjustly and illegally denied their freedom and basic rights. It is also a day to acknowledge the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality in our nation.Īfter the Union army captured New Orleans in 1862, slave owners in Confederate states moved to Texas with more than 150,000 enslaved Black people. We honor Juneteenth as a day to celebrate the freedom and dignity of Black Americans who were enslaved for generations. By celebrating Juneteenth and raising the flag, we honor the history, culture and achievements of Black Americans and their contributions to this country. The flag consists of a star representing freedom a burst representing a “new beginning ” an arc representing a “new horizon ” and set in the colors of red, white and blue noting that enslaved people and their descendants were and are Americans. The raising of the Juneteenth flag is a symbol of solidarity and pride among Black Americans.
