Juneteenth —June 19-- acknowledges the date in 1865 when Federal troops went to Galveston, Texas, to publicly inform enslaved people that they were free. This occurred two years after the Emancipation Proclamation Act of 1863. An estimated 250,000 people were still enslaved when troops arrived and forced Texas slaveowners to relinquish ownership of the people.

Philadelphia International Airport  (PHL) will observe Juneteenth by lighting its ramp tower red, black and green, the colors of the African American flag, from June 18-21.

PHL passengers and staff also celebrated Juneteenth with a an onsite artist demonstration by Robin Williams-Turnage on June 16. Williams-Turnage’s pottery exhibition, Objects of Ancestral Reverence, is currently located in Terminal A-West. The demonstration was hosted by the Airport Exhibitions Program.

To learn more about Juneteenth activities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, click here for Visit Philly's Juneteenth Guide.