Today marks 154 years since all slaves were freed in the United States.

On June 19th, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger trekked to Galveston, Texas to inform Confederate forces that the Civil War was over and that all former slaves were free. According to the Iowa Department of Human Rights, in 2002 Iowa became the seventh state to officially recognize Juneteenth. Former Governor Tom Vilsack signed legislation into law declaring Juneteenth National Freedom Day as a state holiday. Iowa recognizes Juneteenth on the third Saturday of June each year.