[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 19, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H3677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COMMEMORATION OF JUNETEENTH

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today is Juneteenth, June 19, 
and for many who are not aware of that historical and very special day 
in America's history, it is the day that we commemorate the discovery 
that the slaves in the South had been freed. As a representative from 
the great State of Texas, it was the call from Galveston that indicated 
2 years later after the Emancipation Proclamation that there had been a 
declaration of freedom for the slaves of the United States of America.
  We hope that we will have a commission that will commemorate that 
great history, and as well let me say that I want to announce my 
joining as an original cosponsor with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Hall) and many of my colleagues who will today announce a legislative 
initiative to establish a monument or a recognition of those who were 
enslaved in the United States. Our history is our history, and we 
should recognize that and be prepared to acknowledge the wrongness of 
that history, but we should capture it and respect those who helped 
build this country.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I hope we will move forward in the light of our 
history to do good things by passing a real prescription drug bill for 
our seniors, and I hope that that will be done very soon on behalf of 
our seniors in America who need it.

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