emancipation

"We can all finally celebrate. The whole country together," says Opal Lee, 94, who has been working for years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

To mark Juneteenth, NPR staff members read the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth — the celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States — is now a federal holiday.

The yes vote comes a day after the Senate unanimously moved to recognize June 19 as a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.

Today marks the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth.