Juneteenth, a holiday celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved persons in the U.S., was made a feast in the Diocese of California last year. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation (three years after slavery officially ended). This holiday is generally understood as a complement to our national celebration of Independence Day on July 4th, when our founding fathers declared “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” While a beautiful idea, it was unequally implemented in the early part of the life of our nation, as people of color were subjected to chattel slavery and women, indigenous people, the poor, and others understood as “non-white” were denied access to voting, property ownership, protections under the law, and other rights inherent in the exercise of full citizenship. Juneteenth marks an important day when our country moved ever closer to the dream of life and liberty for all. On Sunday, June 18, we will observe The Feast of Juneteenth with a special liturgy at both the 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services. The church offices will be closed on Monday, June 19, in observance of the holiday.