Here's what that means for California workers and who qualifies to take the day off: Juneteenth is celebrated every year on June 19. The holiday was signed into federal law in June 2021, according to the National Park Service.

This year's Juneteenth gatherings in the Bay Area offer numerous opportunities to learn, experience and celebrate Black history and excellence. Why it matters: Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day when Union troops arrived in Galveston,

The history of Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and how it's celebrated.

Juneteenth honors June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the emancipation of enslaved African Americans — over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all enslaved people in the Confederacy.

Juneteenth has long been recognized and celebrated, commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. But it didn't become a federal holiday until recent.

The Stockton Juneteenth Celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, 1658 S. Airport Way. The event includes poetry, historical presentations, food vendors, and live entertainment.

June 19 will be one of just seven free entrance days in California national parks and forests. See where to go for the Juneteenth holiday.

HE HOLDS SEVERAL OTHERS.## EVENTS TO CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH ARE PLANNED ACROSS THE CENTRAL COAST THIS WEEKEND. JUNE 19TH WAS MADE A FEDERAL HOLIDAY A COUPLE YEARS AGO. IT MARKS THE DAY IN 1865... WHEN THE LAST SLAVES IN TEXAS FOUND OUT THEY WERE FREE-- WHICH WAS TWO YEARS AFTER PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN ANNOUNCED THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.