Juneteenth is on track to become a federal holiday. Juneteenth, or June 19, is the date that people who had been held and forced to work in slavery in Texas heard the news that the long-overdue abolition of slavery had occurred.

On that date in 1865, a U.S. general rode into Galveston, Texas, and announced that the Civil War had ended, and slavery had been abolished.

The celebration of that date spread across the country, and yesterday the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday. It is expected to easily pass the House and be signed by President Joseph Biden.

The Kennesaw police department will be celebrating Juneteenth.

The details are contained in the press release reprinted below, and the flyer at the bottom of the article.

Kennesaw, GA (June 8, 2021) — The Kennesaw Police Department would like to invite the community to join them for the First Annual “One Community: A Celebration of Unity” event. The Kennesaw Police Department, in partnership with a team of faith and community leaders, will celebrate the community, the diversity of the community and unity with a family-friendly event on Saturday, June 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kennesaw First Baptist Church, located at 2958 North Main Street.

“We look forward to this opportunity to spend time with those we serve in a new way,” says Chief of Police Bill Westenberger. “We want to take the opportunity to celebrate a day recognizing freedom through emancipation. There is no better day to engage diversity by celebrating opportunities to be together, play together, eat together and celebrate together.”

The event is free to the public.