Princeton Public Library will be closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. Although the Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved people in Confederate States legally free at midnight on January 1, 1863, implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in areas still under Confederate control, delaying freedom for many, particularly in Texas. On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with teh news that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free. This day came to be known as Juneteenth—a time to celebrate, gather as a family, reflect on the past, and look to the future. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.