Juneteenth commemorates the date when hundreds of thousands of enslaved men and women in Texas finally learned they had been freed in 1865.

The announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger was made in Galveston, Texas, and came more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

What is Juneteenth? Here are things to know about the longest-running African American holiday.

Juneteenth is celebrated across the country with street fairs, parades, and concerts. And you can celebrate virtually in Galveston!

Here, you can explore African American history in living color thanks to an interactive tour app offered by the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Below, watch the Juneteenth reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas: