Thursday, June 19, 2025, marks the annual federal holiday of Juneteenth.
The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, marking when enslaved people in Texas received news of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The proclamation was issued on Sept. 22, 1862, and enacted on Jan. 1, 1863, but because of the Civil War and the delays in messages getting to Texas, it didn’t get to Texas until June 19, 1865, just months before the 13th Amendment was ratified.
Texas was the first state to declare the day a state holiday, but it was made a federal holiday by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
Because it is a state and federal holiday, there will be closures, while most businesses will be open.
Closed:
- USPS (no retail or postal delivery)
- Stock Exchange
- Nasdaq
- Banks (online, ATMs available)
- Some state government offices (depending on the state)
- Federal offices
Open
- UPS
- FedEx
- Priority Mail Express will be delivered
- Most retailers
- Most grocery stores
- Most restaurants
Most Walgreens pharmacies will be closed, but the stores will be open, CNN reported. CVS will have most pharmacies open.
As always, you will want to check with local locations to see if they’re operating during their normal business hours or are having limited hours.
List compiled from CNN, USA Today
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