BEND, OR -- Government offices will close Monday in observance of Juneteenth. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was declared in 1983.

Deschutes Historical Museum Executive Director Kelly Cannon-Miller says Juneteenth honors the day the last American slaves were freed, on June 19, 1865, "The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect January 1, 1863. It took two-and-a-half years before the message of freedom really truly reached all of the United States. And the last place was Texas." She adds, "That moment when the United States Army reaches Galveston, Texas and reads aloud this proclamation that ‘you are now free’ to the 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Texas, that’s a really seminal moment."

Cannon-Miller tells KBND News African American communities around the country have celebrated Juneteenth for years but it only recently gained widespread recognition. "Part of the glory of Juneteenth is that it’s very organically celebrated," she says, "It spread through African American communities across the nation, and those are special kinds of holidays." She calls it, "A moment for us to celebrate, as Americans, really trying to achieve the best qualities that we want to see in ourselves as a country. But it’s also a chance for us to learn these important lessons about why we need this holiday."

A celebration is planned Saturday and Sunday at Drake Park, from 11 to 6. Click HERE for details. The Deschutes Historical Museum is also free on Saturday as part of the commemoration. 

Because the holiday falls on a Sunday this year, government offices, including the DMV, will close Monday, as well as most banks and other institutions.