[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 77 (Monday, June 19, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S5357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S5357]]
                      JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today we recognize the date upon which 
slavery finally came to an end in the United States, June 19, 1865, 
also known as ``Juneteenth Independence Day.'' It was on this date that 
slaves in the Southwest finally learned of the end of slavery. Although 
passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in January 1863, legally abolished 
slavery, many African Americans remained in servitude due to the slow 
dissemination of this news across the country.
  Since that time, over 130 years ago, the descendants of slaves have 
observed this anniversary of emancipation as a remembrance of one of 
the most tragic periods of our nation's history. The suffering, 
degradation and brutality of slavery cannot be repaired, but the memory 
can serve to ensure that no such inhumanity is ever perpetrated again 
on American soil.
  Mr. President, throughout the Nation, we also celebrate the many 
important achievements of former slaves and their descendants. We do so 
because in 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, son of former slaves, proposed 
such a recognition as a way of preserving the history of African 
Americans and recognizing the enormous contributions of a people of 
great strength, dignity, faith and conviction--a people who rendered 
their achievements for the betterment and advancement of a Nation once 
lacking in humanity towards them. Every February, nationwide, we 
celebrate African American History Month. And, every year on June 19, 
we celebrate ``Juneteenth Independence Day.''
  Lerone Bennett, editor, writer and lecturer recently reflected on the 
life and times of Dr. Woodson. In an article he wrote earlier this year 
for Johnson's Publications, Bennett tells us that one of the most 
inspiring and instructive stories in African American history is the 
story of Woodson's struggle and rise from the coal mines of West 
Virginia to the summit of academic achievement:

       At 17, the young man who was called by history to reveal 
     Black history was an untutored coal miner. At 19, after 
     teaching himself the fundamentals of English and arithmetic, 
     he entered high school and mastered the four-year curriculum 
     in less than two years. At 22, after two-thirds of a year at 
     Berea College [in Kentucky], he returned to the coal mines 
     and studied Latin and Greek between trips to the mine shafts. 
     He then went on to the University of Chicago, where he 
     received bachelor's and master's degrees, and Harvard 
     University, where he became the second Black to receive a 
     doctorate in history. The rest is history--Black history.

  In keeping with the spirit and the vision of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, I 
would like to pay tribute to two courageous women, claimed by my home 
state of Michigan, who played significant roles in addressing American 
injustice and inequality. These are two women of different times who 
would change the course of history.
  Sojourner Truth, who helped lead our country out of the dark days of 
slavery, and Rosa Parks, whose dignified leadership sparked the 
Montgomery Bus Boycott and the start of the Civil Rights movement are 
indelibly echoed in the chronicle of not only the history of this 
Nation, but are viewed with distinction and admiration throughout the 
world.
  Sojourner Truth, though unable to read or write, was considered one 
of the most eloquent and noted spokespersons of her day on the 
inhumanity and immorality of slavery. She was a leader in the 
abolitionist movement, and a ground breaking speaker on behalf of 
equality for women. Michigan recently honored her with the dedication 
of the Sojourner Truth Memorial Monument, which was unveiled in Battle 
Creek, Michigan on September 25, 1999.
  Truth lived in Washington, D.C. for several years, helping slaves who 
had fled from the South and appearing at women's suffrage gatherings. 
She returned to Battle Creek in 1875, and remained there until her 
death in 1883. Sojourner Truth spoke from her heart about the most 
troubling issues of her time. A testament to Truth's convictions is 
that her words continue to speak to us today.
  On May 4, 1999 legislation was enacted which authorized the President 
of the United States to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa 
Parks. I was pleased to coauthor this fitting tribute to Rosa Parks--
the gentle warrior who decided that she would no longer tolerate the 
humiliation and demoralization of racial segregation on a bus. Her 
personal bravery and self-sacrifice are remembered with reverence and 
respect by us all.
  Forty-four years ago in Montgomery, Alabama the modern civil rights 
movement began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and move to 
the back of the bus. The strength and spirit of this courageous woman 
captured the consciousness of not only the American people but the 
entire world. The boycott which Rosa Parks began was the beginning of 
an American revolution that elevated the status of African Americans 
nationwide and introduced to the world a young leader who would one day 
have a national holiday declared in his honor, the Reverend Martin 
Luther King Jr.
  We have come a long way toward achieving justice and equality for 
all. But we still have work to do. In the names of Rosa Parks, 
Sojourner Truth, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and 
many others, let us rededicate ourselves to continuing the struggle on 
Civil Rights and to human rights.

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