What is Juneteenth? Are post offices, banks open in Tennessee? What to know about newest federal holiday
Communities across Tennessee are preparing to celebrate Juneteenth, an annual holiday that marks the emancipation of slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth, the United States' newest federal holiday, is celebrated on Thursday, June 19. As a national holiday, many businesses, including the U.S. Postal Service, will close for the day.
On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed the community of Galveston of Lincoln's proclamation. Although enslaved people had been officially emancipated years prior, enslavers responsible for telling them ignored the order until Union troops arrived to enforce it, according to the founder of Juneteenth.com, Cliff Robinson. Texas was the last Confederate state to have the proclamation announced.
Here's what's open and what's closed on June 19.
The U.S. post office will be closed June 19, in commemoration of Juneteenth, according to the USPS. No mail will be picked up or delivered on that date.
Generally, banks observe federal holidays and will close for Juneteenth. National banks, including branches of Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC, Truist, CitiBank, JPMorgan Chase and Capital One will be closed on the holiday. Capital One Cafes will remain open.
The UT Financial Credit Union, Y-12 Credit Union, Tennessee State Bank and Bank of Tennessee will also be closed on June 19.
No. The Credit Union will be closed on June 19 in observance of the federal holiday.
While USPS will close for Juneteenth, UPS and FedEx will continue to deliver, according to the companies' websites.
Emancipation Day: Enslaved Tennesseans weren't freed on the Eighth of August. So why do we celebrate it?
Juneteenth was officially established as a federal holiday under former President Joe Biden in 2021.
Is Juneteenth still a federal holiday? Trump has rolled back many of Biden's moves, could he do the same with June 19?
Tennessee Connect reporter Jordan Green and USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Is mail delivered on Juneteenth? Why June 19 is a federal holiday
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