Juneteenth is coming up on Thursday, June 19. Johnson County Government administrative offices, libraries and health clinics will be closed on this day, in observance of the holiday.

Johnson County Park and Recreation District parks and trails will be open on Juneteenth during regular park hours. Tomahawk Hills and Heritage Park golf courses will also be open during regular hours. Ernie Miller Nature Center will be closed Thursday, June 19.

Juneteenth is a recognition and celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. A combination of the terms “June” and “nineteenth,” this holiday – taking place on June 19 – marks the date in which Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865, ensuring the freedom of all enslaved people in the state.

The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified on Dec. 6, 1865. The following year, the first celebration of “Jubilee Day” on June 19 was organized in Texas, which is now known as Juneteenth.

Juneteenth has been an annual celebration across the country, and it became a national holiday in 2021. In 2022, it was recognized by Johnson County for the first time, on Monday, June 20, since June 19 fell on a Sunday.

Johnson County is hosting its annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 19 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Lenexa Civic Campus Commons, 17101 W. 87th St, Lenexa. The keynote speaker at the event will be Victor Webb, whose parents fought school segregation in Merriam.

Visit jocogov.org/juneteenth to learn more about the importance of Juneteenth and the various ways you can honor the day throughout the county and KC metro. You can also explore Juneteenth history and reading on the Johnson County Library’s resource page.