June 19 may seem like just another Tuesday to you, but 153 years ago, it was a reason to rejoice for an entire race of people.

On June 19, 1865, Juneteenth was born. It’s the day the United States, still fractured from the Civil War, liberated the last of the slaves and put the inhumane practice in the past.

Major General Gordon Granger marched into Galveston, TX, and told the locals the war had ended, the Union’s forces had prevailed and that all slaves were now free.

Read more about the history behind Juneteenth here.