June 17, 2021

Silver Spring, MD - National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) celebrates a historic moment in our country with the declaration of Juneteenth National Independence Day as an official federal holiday on June 19. With near-unanimous support from Congress, Juneteenth marks the first new federal holiday established since 1983 (when the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. was designated). Juneteenth is an important milestone in our continued national conversation on racial justice, marking the end of slavery in the United States and enabling all Americans to reflect on the hard history of slavery in our nation’s past.

NCSS President Stefanie Wager said, “Juneteenth is not a new holiday. It has been celebrated by the African American community for more than 150 years, commemorating freedom for enslaved people. We are thrilled with the passage and signing of the Juneteenth Act, declaring June 19th a federal holiday. This honors and recognizes an important milestone in our country's history and serves as a reminder of the work we must continually do to understand our history.” 

NCSS Executive Director Dr. Lawrence Paska said, “The designation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is the culmination of decades of hard work to honor both the progress and the struggles that make up the American experience, and acknowledges the prominent role that the institution of slavery has in our history. We call on all educators to celebrate Juneteenth by teaching about the significance of this day, this moment in our current civic life, and continuing to engage in inquiry about the fundamental role that slavery played in our nation’s history.”

Founded in 1921, National Council for the Social Studies is the largest professional association in the country devoted solely to social studies education. NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies. With members in all the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 35 countries, NCSS serves as an umbrella organization for elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, civics, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education. The NCSS membership represents K-12 classroom teachers, college and university faculty members, curriculum designers and specialists, social studies supervisors, and leaders in the various disciplines that constitute the social studies.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Joy Lindsey
Director of Marketing, Communications and Membership
jlindsey@ncss.org
301-850-7458