List of African-American holidays
{{Short description|none}}
African-Americans make up 12% of the American population and there are several holidays that celebrate them.
Federal holidays
The following are African-American federal holidays in the United States:
class="wikitable" | |||
colspan=1| Date || Name || First celebrated || Remarks | |||
---|---|---|---|
third Monday of January | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 1986 | The birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.{{cite web|url=https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/#url=2013|website=opm.gov|title=Federal Holidays|access-date=2023-02-06}} |
June 19 | Juneteenth National Independence Day | 2021 | Commemorates General Order No. 3, the legal decree issued in 1865 by Union General Gordon Granger enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation to the residents of Galveston, Texas, at the end of the American Civil War.{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/475|website=congress.gov|title=www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/475|access-date=2023-02-06}} |
State holidays
The following are African-American holidays celebrated in at least one US State or territory:
Municipal holidays
The following African-American holidays are celebrated by different municipalities:
class="wikitable" | |||||
colspan=1| Date || Name || Number of Municipalities curating || First celebrated || Municipalities Celebrating || Remarks | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 3 | Liberation and Freedom Day | 1 | 2019 | Charlottesville, Virginia (2019){{cite web|url=https://www.wtvr.com/2019/07/03/liberation-and-freedom-day-charlottesville|website=wtvr.com|title=Charlottesville to honor Liberation and Freedom Day, not Thomas Jefferson's birthday|access-date=2023-02-06}} | Emancipation of slaves in Charlottesville |
September 24 | Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival | 1 | 1987 | Annapolis, Maryland (1987){{cite web|url=https://www.visitannapolis.org/blog/stories/post/kunta-kinte-heritage-festival-a-celebration-of-culture/|website=visitannapolis.org|title=Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival: a Celebration of Culture|access-date=2023-02-06}} | The arrival of Kunta Kinte |
Other
The following are non-government African American holidays:
class="wikitable" | ||||
colspan=1| Date || Name || Organization || First celebrated || Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
April 15 | Jackie Robinson Day | Major League Baseball | 2004 | Opening day for Jackie Robinson's first season |
June | Odunde Festival | Philadelphia community | 1975 | Celebration of the Yoruba people |
February | Black History Month | Black Students Union | 1970 | February in the United States and Canada, October in the United Kingdom and Ireland |
June | African-American Music Appreciation Month | 1979 | ||
December 26 to January 1 | Kwanzaa | 1966 |