10.9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

I'm Bethany Van Delft, and this is the 10 News, where we get the lowdown on what's up in the world.

This week, many Americans are getting ready to celebrate Juneteenth.

A mashup of the words June and 19th, it's an annual holiday commemorating the

end of slavery in the United States that has been celebrated by African Americans since

1865 when Union troops marched into Texas, the western most Confederate state, and announced

enslaved black people were free.

The day celebrates freedom and resilience.

So this week, as we lead up to the 155-year-old celebration, we'll explore how people celebrate, the history of the day,

and why this holiday has recently gained more attention than ever.

Let's get to the 10.

Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Jubilee.

These are all names for Juneteenth.

Many people think slavery ended on the day, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863.

But it actually took more than two and a half years for it to become official throughout all of the Confederate states.

Our correspondent Pamela Kirkland called up Kelly Navies, a museum specialist in oral history at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

to explain a bit more about the history of the holiday.

We'll just start with what is Juneteenth?

June 10th. June 10th.

June 10th is this great day that is celebrated because on June 19th, 1865, General Gordon Ranger arrived in Galveston, Texas with order number three announcing that the enslaved were now free.

This is important because although the Emancipation Proclamation

have been signed in 1863,

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