In 2021 President Joe Biden signed legislation that made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
This is the first federal holiday to be approved in the U.S. since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was put in place in 1983.
The holiday celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. It marks the occasion on June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas and announced that the Civil War was over.
Although President Abraham Lincoln had declared the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, many slaveholders didn't abide by the declaration, and did not free their slaves.
Due to this, the federal holiday is set to be celebrated annually on June 19. However, this year it falls on a Sunday, but will be celebrated the following Monday (June 20).
What is Open on Juneteenth?
Federal holidays are not mandatory for businesses in the U.S., but many businesses will likely observe Juneteenth 2022. We've listed out below all the establishments that are open throughout the holiday on Monday.
Supermarkets
- Walmart is set to be open throughout the day
- Target will be open, but the company's headquarters will remain closed
- Costco stores will also remain open
- Kroger will be open too
Stores
- Apple stores will be open
- Macy's is available
- Nordstrom is operating normally
- Bed Bath & Beyond is additionally open
What is Closed on Juneteenth?
Of course, with many observing the holiday, we can expect a few establishments to be closed. We've listed some for you below:
Banks
Most Banks will be closed on this day, including:
- Bank of America Corp
- JPMorgan Chase & Co.
- Wells Fargo
Schools/Colleges
Most schools and Colleges are also expected to close, including:
- All New York schools
- Columbia University
- Harvard University
- Georgetown University
Federal offices
Most government offices will remain closed, but it's up to the cities and localities as to whether they'll be officially closing government offices or not.
Postal services
As is the case with other Federal holidays, the U.S postal service will remain closed on Juneteenth.
Other establishments such as Nike, or Adidas will also remain closed for the third consecutive year, giving their employees the day off.
The New York Stock Exchange is also set to close on Monday.
In terms of how people will be celebrating the holiday, The Roots will be performing at the Hollywood Bowl to honor Juneteenth. The concert will occur on Sunday, June 19th at 8 p.m. ET.
An associate professor of Government at Cornell University, David A. Bateman, believes Juneteenth should have been officially inaugurated a while ago.
He told Newsweek: "[T]his country went more than a century and a half either brushing off slavery or pretending it wasn't that big a deal, and when it did acknowledge anything it did so from the perspective of the white supremacist Jim Crow regimes or of the self-congratulatory Grand Army of the Republic."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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