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Juneteenth became the newest federal holiday Thursday.
"All Americans can feel the power of this day, and learn from our history,” President Biden said at a ceremony at the White House.
This is the first new federal holiday since 1983-- when Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday became a federal celebration.
Since this year the holiday falls on a Saturday it will be celebrated on Friday, closing public schools, federal offices (like the post office), and most banks.
The Nasdaq Stock Market said U.S. markets will however remain.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will be closed on Saturday in observance of the holiday.
“Throughout history, Juneteenth has been known by many names: Jubilee Day. Freedom Day. Liberation Day. Emancipation Day. And today, a national holiday,” Vice President Kamala Harris.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The celebration comes a couple months after the Emancipation Proclamation, which “all slaves are free.” This is because on June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas issuing General Order No. 3-- state all enslaved people were now free.
“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often referred to as the Black national anthem-- was played at the Lancaster flag raising.
Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the third ranking US House Democrat, says that he is drafting legislation to make the song America’s “national hymn.”
The Juneteenth flag, which is waving over the Rose City, has a starburst and arching middle line symbolizing a new era for Black Americans and all Americans.
The flag's colors are red, white and blue, the same colors of the United States flag.
Some versions of the flag have the date of the first Juneteenth displayed on it.
The NAACP Lancaster is helping run the holiday festivities in the city on Saturday.
A vigil will be held along with a caravan that will travel throughout city neighborhoods.
The celebration ends with a family festival at Lancaster County Central Park.
The YWCA Lancaster will also hold Juneteenth celebrations hosting a Black Artist Waystation event (as part of an on-going series) to highlight Black artists in visual, performance and spoken word that defines the movement toward freedom.
The YMCA event starts at 3 p.m. and will end with an 8 p.m. showing of films on Black oppression.
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