CHICAGO (CBS) -- On Monday, Cook County will kick off a weeklong celebration of Juneteenth.

This is the first year that Juneteenth will be a paid Cook County holiday.

Virtual events Monday through Wednesday will include panel discussions on issues important to the Black community – from justice and education to culture, health, and wealth.

On Thursday, there will be a health fair at Malcolm X College on the Near West Side, and on Friday, there will be a Black culture caravan, also at Malcolm X.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved people were freed in Texas – two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

More information is available at JuneteenthIllinois.com.