Juneteenth the D to be bigger than ever before

DETROIT (FOX 2) - For the first time in more than almost 40 years, a new federal holiday has been created with June 19 - Juneteenth - declared an official federal holiday.

On Friday, all federal workers will get a day off to observe the holiday, which falls on Saturday of this year. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery and, in Detroit, there are big plans to observe the first federal holiday.

The United States House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to make June 19th the 12th federal holiday.

At Juneteenth in the D, there are plans to celebrate bigger than ever before.

Mikhaella Norwood and two other recent University of Michigan grads won $10,000 through a 'Shark Tank' style competition… you might remember we covered her story this December.

"To see that it's already happening, it really feels like this is a culmination," Norwood said.

Now the plans are into fruition. The money is being invested into Detroit to tell the important story of June 19th. A Juneteenth celebration is slated for Saturday at the Dables MBAD African Bead Gallery on Grand River with a full day of events including workshops and performances.

"We’ve got Griff from 'Get Up' mornings with Erica Campbell, Les Brown is going to be sharing some special words, and we are kicking everything off at the very end with Martha Reeves as our headliner. We’ll be dancing in the streets for sure."

The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. That was two months after the Confederacy had surrendered and about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.

President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth Federal holiday bill into law Thursday.

"This is our moment as an American people to really own the sins of our past, but to push forward to be better in our present," Norwood said.

Juneteenth in the D starts at 11:30 in the morning on Saturday and runs until 7 p.m. Then a showcase concert features local artists will start and run until 10:30 at night.