Government offices on the Palouse and in the Lewison-Clarkston Valley will be closed Wednesday for the Juneteenth federal holiday, along with the U.S. Post Office.

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. A federal holiday since 2021, it marks the date, June 19, on which enslaved people in Texas received word of emancipation, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The community is invited to attend a Juneteenth celebration from noon-2 p.m. Wednesday in Moscow’s Friendship Square.

According to a city of Moscow news release, the event will include free soul food, children’s activities, T-shirt making, music, a drum circle and remarks from community member James Bledsoe. The event if free to attend

Donations will be accepted to support the University of Idaho Black/African American Cultural Center and Washington State University African American Student Center.

Promote Pullman and the Terry Buffington Foundation are organizing a “Reading Celebration” on Wednesday in Pullman in celebration of the holiday.

The reading event will be held at 6 p.m. at the Lumberyard in downtown Pullman. It is a free event and people can bring their own poetry or historical documents to read.