STORY: Juneteenth marks the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.

Long a regional holiday in the South, It became the newest U.S. federal holiday in 2021 under U.S. President Joe Biden.?

:: June 17, 2021

BIDEN: "This is a day, in my view, of profound weight and profound power..."

:: June 1, 2020

:: Minneapolis, Minnesota

It rose in prominence after protests in 2020 over the police killings of Black Americans including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks.

Here's a look at its roots - and significance.

:: What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth - which combines the words June and nineteenth - is also known as Emancipation Day.

:: Galveston, Texas

:: June 19, 2021

It marks a the day in 1865 after the confederate states had surrendered to end the Civil War...

when a Union general arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform a group of enslaved African Americans about their freedom under President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

:: New York

Dozens of states and the District of Columbia legally recognize it as a holiday, and give state workers a paid day off.

It's in part a celebration, but Juneteenth is also observed solemnly... honoring those who suffered as a result of slavery in the U.S. over hundreds of years.

After emancipation, the country imposed a draconian system of racial segregation.

:: What is significant this year?

According to the Pew Research Center, the states of Connecticut, Minnesota, Nevada and Tennessee made Juneteenth a permanent public holiday in 2023.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey also authorized it as a state holiday this year by decree.

Four years after tensions flared over the killing of Black Americans at the hands of police, race remains a sensitive issue.

In Florida and other states, some conservatives are trying to change the way Black history is taught in public schools.

Since last year's Juneteenth, the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court ruled that universities can no longer consider race as a factor in student admissions.

That decision ended affirmative action programs used by many U.S. schools to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other students from underrepresented communities.

:: How are people marking the day?

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris marked the day earlier in June with a concert at the White House that paid tribute to civil rights activists who were awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom.

:: June 10, 2024

:: Washington, D.C.

HARRIS: "While Juneteenth is a day for celebration, it is also a day for dedication. A day to rededicate ourselves to the ongoing and unfinished work of our American experiment."

:: Galveston, Texas

U.S. government employees have the day off from work.

So do workers at some private businesses.

Traditionally, Juneteenth celebrations include parades, marches and barbecues.

This year's holiday is expected to take place during a heat wave in some parts of the country so officials are advising people to be careful.

Other events will strike a more somber tone, with organizers using the day to draw attention to today's racial inequities they say stem from the legacy of slavery and structural racism.