06/17/2026
Join us for a special Zoom talk “Juneteenth – the First National Holiday Authorized in the 21st Century” by John Cilio on Thursday June 18 at 6:00pm. Explore the history and origins of America’s most recent addition to our national holiday schedule. It’s the 11th national holiday and the first authorized in the 21st century.
It’s also a holiday recognized in all 50 states with Texas being the first state to legislate it as a state paid holiday. Juneteenth is a portmanteau word for June and nineteenth. It commemorates the June 19, 1865 Federal Government’s announcement in Texas that emancipated the last enslaved African-American people of the Confederate South. Juneteenth, originally known as Jubilee Day, is a special holiday celebrating the promise of tomorrow that freedom provides every citizen.
John Cilio is a historian, storyteller, a member of the Organization of American Historians and the Association for the Study of Connecticut History. He thrives on researching the ghosts of our past, uncovering the underlying forces and historical trends that one single event rarely impacts. He believes that often the consequences of a historical incident were hidden from those that experienced it, yet looking back, one can sense the full impact of their moments in time. Registration link in bio.
