NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in an internal memo to staff, announced that the league will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 19, as an official holiday and the league’s offices will be closed that day.

“This year, as we work together as a family and in our communities to combat the racial injustices that remain deeply rooted into the fabric of our society, the NFL will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th as a recognized holiday and our league offices will be closed,” Goodell wrote in the memo.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and marks the anniversary when Union soldiers went to Galveston, Texas, and announced that slavery had ended and that the Civil War was over on June 19, 1865.

Below is the memo sent from Goodell:

“Dear NFL Colleagues:

“Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19th, commemorates the effective end of slavery in the United States.

“This year, as we work together as a family and in our communities to combat the racial injustices that remain deeply rooted into the fabric of our society, the NFL will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th as a recognized holiday and our league offices will be closed.