June 19 (UPI) -- Google is celebrating Juneteenth and the holiday's 155th anniversary with a new video Doodle.
Juneteenth, short for June Nineteenth, marks the true end of chattel slavery across the United States in 1865.
The holiday marks the day when enslaved black people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned that they were free, two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the United States in 1863.
Google's homepage features artwork by Loveis Wise and a play button that starts an animated video about Juneteenth that honors the end of slavery.
Actor LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek) narrates the clip and reads James Weldon Johnson's poem Lift Every Voice and Sing, often referred to as the Black National Anthem.
"Juneteenth is an American story about persistence, freedom, and joy no matter the obstacle. May this year's celebration provide an opportunity to honor the progress that's been made and reflect on the important changes that still remain ahead," Angelica McKinley, project creative director for the Doodle said.
