June 19 - A day that became a symbol of celebration and gave birth to Juneteenth

After two years of COVID-19, people are finally ready to celebrate Juneteenth in 2023, but is it a federal holiday?

June 19th is marked as a day of celebration as it is remembered for the emancipation of slaved people. Unfortunately, for the past two years, these celebrations were paused due to COVID-19.

However, things are finally shaping for the good in 2023 with people coming together for Juneteenth.

• READ MORE: 21 INSPIRING JUNETEENTH QUOTES AND CAPTIONS TO SHARE ON FREEDOM DAY

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Is Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2023?

Yes, Juneteenth is a federal holiday. It was officially named as one in 2021. The decision was made after President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

While most of the federal holidays such as Memorial Day, Christmas, New Year‘s, and more lead to people getting paid off, Juneteenth is not the same.

There are a few offices or government-run services that decide to hit a pause on this day, but there are many more that function as per usual.

A look at the history of Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the name derived from ‘June 19’ as it symbolizes the date in 1865 when the federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control over the state and free people from slavery.

Following this, in April 1864,  the Senate passed the 13th Amendment to the American Constitution which effectively prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude.

Fast forward to 1979, the state of Texas was the first to recognize this day as a holiday. However, it was only symbolic, and no real value was added to it.

It wasn’t until 2021 that things changed with it finally being recognized as a federal holiday. To this day, Juneteenth sees family and friends coming together to celebrate. It is also viewed as a day to remind people about har far the country has come.

• SEE: JUNETEENTH MEMES AS TWITTER CELEBRATES FREEDOM DAY

Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images

Restaurants and stores that will be open on Juneteenth

You will be happy to know that there are several restaurants and stores that will be open on Juneteenth and these have been mentioned below:

1. Home Depot
2. Dollar General
3. Family Dollar
4. Dollar Tree
5. IKEA
6. Lowe’s
7. Chipotle
8. Starbucks
9. Wendy’s
10. Dunkin’ Donuts
11. McDonald‘s
12. Burger King
13. Aldi
14. Kroger
15. Publix
16. Costco
17. Trader Joe’s
18. Dominos
19. Walmart
20. Target
21. Petco
22. Chick-Fil-A
23. Whole Foods
24. Hobby Lobby
25. Wendy’s

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