The Atlanta Falcons will make Juneteenth a paid holiday, according to the team.

Falcons employees will have Friday off.

June 19 marks the effective end of slavery in the United States. It is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War and slavery had ended.

Employees will have the day off to “learn, reflect and serve,” according to a team spokesman.

The NFL announced last week it will close its office Friday for Juneteenth. Nike also will observe Juneteeth as a paid holiday as will the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

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Cornerback Keith Taylor was signed to the practice squad by the Falcons on Tuesday. (Atlanta Falcons Twitter)

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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