DENVER (AP) — The Denver City Council has declared Juneteenth an official commemorative holiday in the city, elevating the commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. from the status of a ceremonial holiday.
The Denver Post reported the council passed a bill to set an annual official observance of Juneteenth on the Saturday closest to June 19.
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and the delivery of a message on June 19, 1865, telling slaves in Texas they were free.
The holiday has expanded from Texas to the majority of U.S. states and Washington, D.C.