Juneteenth 2025 — What to Know, Including What\'s Open

Today it is June 18, and tomorrow is Juneteenth. Allstate allows its independent agents to observe the following holidays with the office closed locally:

New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

We are traditionally authorized to close by 2PM on New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve.

Presidents Day, MLK Day, and Veterans Day we are generally required to be open.

Allstate wants our offices open 253 days of a possible 260 days to assist customers with their insurance needs.

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Good morning! This was posted at WFLA Channel 8 news in Tampa, Florida. Coincidentally, my high school years were in Tampa, and one of my classmates is Gayle Guyardo (HB Plant HS), the morning news anchor at WFLA.

Juneteenth 2025: What to Know, Including What's Open

Via The Hill

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that recognizes the freedom of formerly enslaved Black people. The commemoration traditionally takes place on June 19 to commemorate the day in 1865 when Major Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in the state of Texas to share the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, announcing the official end of the Civil War. This year, the holiday falls on a Thursday. Here's all you need to know:

When did Juneteenth become a federal holiday? Juneteenth was signed into law as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, by former President Joe Biden. He was surrounded by civil rights activists, including Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), and Opal Lee. Opal Lee is known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" after walking 2.5 miles each year to symbolize the two and a half years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas. In 2016, at age 89, she walked from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., hoping to convince former President Barack Obama to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday. Five years later, Biden completed the task and awarded Opal Lee the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her advocacy work.

When was the first Juneteenth celebration? The first Juneteenth celebration took place in 1866, one year after Granger's order. Some referenced the holiday as "Jubilee Day" or "Freedom Day" and gathered in homes, parks, and communities to celebrate. The holiday was first listed on the calendar of public events in 1872 with the help of the government's Freedmen's Bureau agency for newly freed Black people. Later that year, a group of Black organizers in Texas pooled together $1,000 for the purchase of 10 acres now known as Houston's Emancipation Park, where Juneteenth celebrations are hosted to this day. The Freedmen's Bureau recently digitized its search portal for archives from 1865–1872 to allow family historians and genealogists to research the history of their ancestors in the United States.

What will be closed on Juneteenth? On Juneteenth, the U.S. Postal Service, banks, and the stock market will be closed. Nonessential government employees will also be granted the day off from work.

How to celebrate Juneteenth? Many people use the Juneteenth holiday as a time to reflect on the country's past. Cities and states across the country typically host educational programming to inform individuals of the 250,000 Black people who gained their freedom in honor of the holiday. Celebrations may include readings of former President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, cookouts, festivals, and Miss Juneteenth contests across the country.

I find this holiday fascinating because it is steeped in the Civil War and Emancipation Era but took until five years ago to be considered a holiday to celebrate.

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Important: Phone Numbers to Call

Please write down 360-746-7785 as the direct office number for our location. If you call 360-647-1662 and believe you have been transferred somewhere else in the world, you likely have an Allstate contact center attempting to assist while we are on the phone. A customer left after 15 years because he was not happy he was being transferred. If you call 360-647-1662 and wish not to be transferred when prompted, simply state "speak to agent" and you should be sent to my office directly. Call the bolded number and you will be connected with our office only. You may be leaving a voicemail if we are on the phone.

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Summer Vacation Season

Just a reminder — if you are traveling by plane and renting a car, consider using a credit card that may provide extra protections during your rental experience. Airline credit cards, like the Bank of America–issued Alaska Airlines Visa and the Citibank-issued Costco Visa card, may provide them if you use their card for the complete payment of your rental car. Consider calling your credit card issuer at the number on the back and requesting cardholder benefits.

Be mindful of special considerations when traveling outside the US, including securing the Inter-Provincial Proof of Insurance card required when driving in Canada — subject to a potentially large fine if pulled over without it in all provinces.

If renting a car, make sure you have enough property damage coverage for a rental car, SUV, or truck by calling to bump the coverage limit with our office before you head out if you are not sure: 360-746-7785.

Please note that virtually all of Canada is a no-fault driving jurisdiction, so having a low deductible on collision coverage is important to consider — and driving without collision in a no-fault jurisdiction is not a good idea. You also need at least $200,000 in third-party liability when driving in Canada. Our last blog on Canada included information from Canadian sources.

Enjoy Summer!