Juneteenth celebration

The MWRD will celebrate the Juneteenth holiday with a "Discovering Our Roots" program open to the public at the Barbara J. McGowan Main Office Building, 100 E. Erie Street, Chicago, IL at 4:45 p.m. R.S.V.P. is required.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth," it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas.

Originating in Galveston, Texas, Juneteenth has since been observed annually throughout the United States.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, creating a federal holiday.

Host or Publisher Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago