Juneteenth was the day the very last remaining slaves were freed. It was June 19, 1868 in the state of Texas, years after the North won the civil war and Lincoln was assassinated. To me it seems odd to celebrate that date instead of the day of the Emancipation Proclamation or the day the civil war ended, both events were necessary and included more blood shed than all wars before or after combined to free all slaves, not just the last slaves in TX. I look at freeing the last slaves as a part of what initiated freeing the slaves, not as a separate event. It may be important to those whose ancestors were TX slaves, but not really to me. We would have more holidays than the rest of the world combined if we celebrated each of the accumulated freedoms, successes, etc this country has in it's rich history. And Columbus stays.