City of Asheville to observe its first Juneteenth holiday 

    On June 18, Asheville City offices will be closed in observance of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. Technically on June 19, it marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas, were finally  told they were free. These enslaved people learned they were free two years after [...]