Juneteenth celebrated with fee-free entrance to Yosemite, Sequoia national parks

YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and national parks across the country are offering fee-free entrance on Thursday in honor of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that all remaining slaves were free.

While the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on Jan. 1, 1863, many slaveholders did not attempt to free those held in bondage. It was only after military intervention that slaves in states like Texas learned of their freedom.

Juneteenth has been celebrated annually since 1865, but was officially signed into law as a national holiday in 2021.