Juneteenth Holiday

As people gathered to celebrate Juneteenth at events across the U.S., former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama welcomed the first visitors to his presidential center. A million visitors a year are expected to come together at the sprawling campus honoring the nation’s first Black president. The center’s grand opening arrives as a symbolic convergence of legacy and liberation in this fifth year since June 19 became a federal holiday. This year's Juneteenth events, held to celebrate the end of slavery, come during deep political divisions as the nation grapples with renewed questions about the arc of racial progress.