June 16, 2021 – Use the link below to learn more about the celebration of Juneteenth (June 19) with the read-aloud video book “Juneteenth for Mazie” by Floyd Cooper offered by Capstone.
On June 16, 2021 Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 3922 declaring Juneteenth (June 19) an official state holiday. Juneteenth marks the date in 1865 when the last enslaved Black people in the country learned from Union soldiers in Texas that they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The day is also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day.