Earlier this week, President Joe Biden signed a bill making June 19 a federal holiday.
Celebrities and public figures are taking a moment to celebrate Juneteenth.
This holiday was named for, and is celebrated on, June 19 to commemorate the true ending of slavery in the United States. Earlier this week, days before this year's celebration, the House passed legislation after an unanimous vote and President Joe Biden signed a bill into law recognizing Juneteenth as an official federal holiday.
Social media was filled with celebratory and informative posts from people acknowledging the day.
"Happy #Juneteenth everyone! We’ve come so far — but we know we still have a long way to go," Halle Berry wrote, also asking people to share their Black-owned businesses to "highlight a few today."
Lupita Nyong'o also posted a photo of educator and social activist Opal Lee, known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, on her Instagram.
"We owe deep respect to Ms. Opal Lee whose unwavering commitment is surely responsible for the Senate (finally!) passing a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday this week," the actress wrote in part. "I hope you’ll join me in thanking @TheRealOpalLee for her inspiring accomplishment, let alone at 94 years of age!"
Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington and Michelle Obama also paid tribute in their own special way.
"I love that Juneteenth is now an official federal holiday. A time to honor our past and those who’ve forged a path to our present. Which is why I’m excited to present #LiftEveryVoice, a collection of powerful interviews with a highly regarded older generation of Black Americans," Winfrey wrote. "Their experiences and wisdom can lead us to a better future if we’re open to receive it. What makes their stories even more poignant, is that young Black journalists and photographers captured their words and images in a spectrum of Black excellence."
See more celebrities and public figures celebrating Juneteenth, below:
ET's Kevin Frazier recently spoke with Winfrey about what Juneteenth means to her, to which she replied, "It means freedom, it means liberation in the true sense, it means prayers answered, it means hope, it means the ability to move forward, it means life choices, it means god given rights. That's what it means."
She added that the holiday is a reminder to reflect on where she's come from, what she's achieved and overcome. "
"If they could survive that -- being enslaved and coming out of the enslavement and creating a life and not losing your mind and still being able to love and build families -- if they could do that then there is nothing, nothing we cannot do," she stressed. "That is what it means to me. It is a reminder [to] look how far you've come and there's nothing you cannot do."
See more in the video below.
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