The day of June 19th, 1865 was the day that every slave held in captivity in this country knew that they were no longer slaves. Although President Lincoln had signed into law that ALL slaves in the US were to be free men on Jan 1st, 1863, roughly two and a half years earlier, the news didn't reach everyone at the same time. This was due to the lack of infrastructure and the remoteness of some areas, so the news didn't arrive for a while, but when it did, that became the day we call Juneteenth. The month of June combined with the 19th, the day that the news arrived, equals Juneteenth.

As of today, 47 states recognize Juneteenth Day as a state holiday, or day of observance but it still hasn't been recognized as a national holiday yet. There are a few organizations that are trying to get it to be designated as a national day of observance, so we know that it will come soon.

So we ask you as the President of the United States to create an Executive Order declaring the 19th of June a National Holiday, National Juneteenth Day! By doing so you help to bring closure to our struggle to have this day recognized by the federal government. 

We fought as slaves alongside free white men to help this country gain its independence from foreign powers, and Independence Day was declared. And once again we fought as slaves for our freedom alongside free white men and when we gained it, nothing was declared, until two and half years later, but it was only declared by us.

This is why we need the Federal Government to step in and declare that the day that every Black person in this country knew that they were free men and women is something that the nation should acknowledge. And just as the great President Lincoln went down in history as one of the greatest Presidents in the history of this country, as the man with the foresight and fortitude to free the slaves, you too will be written into history as the President that had the foresight and fortitude to tackle this issue and get it done. 

Thanks National Juneteenth Day