[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 85 (Friday, June 18, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S7051]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF THE JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL CELEBRATION

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, this week people all across the Nation 
are engaging in the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. 
It was in June of 1865, that the Union soldiers landed in Galveston, TX 
with the news that the war had ended and that slavery finally had come 
to an end in the United States. This was 2\1/2\ years after the 
Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official January 1, 1863. 
This week and specifically on June 19, we celebrate what is known as 
``Juneteenth Independence Day.'' It was on this date, June 19, 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.
  In recognition of Juneteenth, I would like to call my colleagues' 
attention the Juneteenth Creative Cultural Center and Museum founded in 
Saginaw, MI by Lula Briggs Galloway on June 19, 2003. The Juneteenth 
Creative Cultural Center & Museum will be celebrating its first year 
anniversary with the Juneteenth Independence Day Celebration on 
Saturday, June 19, 2004, hosted by its founder and volunteers. They are 
proud to present the ``Tuskegee Airmen'' and the ``Triple Nickles'' who 
will be performing as part of the Juneteenth Independence Day 
Celebration.
  Many years before ``black pride'' became a popular slogan, a small 
group of black soldiers gave life and meaning to those words. This is 
their story. Born within an army that had traditionally relegated 
blacks to menial jobs and programmed them for failure, the 555th 
Parachute Infantry Battalion, or ``Triple Nickles'' Succeeded in 
becoming the Nation's first all-black parachute infantry test platoon, 
company, and battalion.
  The Tuskegee Airmen, a black Army Air Force unit, were dedicated, 
determined young men who enlisted to become America's first black 
military airmen, at a time when there were many people who thought that 
black men lacked intelligence, skill, and courage to become pilots. 
Although the Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 combat missions, 
once home, they had to give up their seats on the bus to Nazi prisoners 
of war who were being transferred to holding camps.
  Since that time, men like Chuck Simms Sr., John Weldon, and Toney 
Muzon, have continued the legacy for the Triple Nickles and the 
Tuskegee Airmen. This celebration will honor them, and their fellow 
soldiers and airmen, who have since passed away.
  The Triple Nickles' and the Tuskegee Airmen's families can be proud 
of their dedication to their country, and their great commitment to 
honor the values and principles of democracy and freedom. We as a 
nation have benefitted from the extraordinary contributions--and 
sacrifices--of these veterans who bravely went off to war, despite 
turmoil and racism at home.
  I am sure that my Senate colleagues join me in recognizing and 
honoring the Juneteenth Creative Cultural Center and Museum's first 
year anniversary, and the Juneteenth Independence Day Celebration 
honoring the Triple Nickles and Tuskegee Airmen veterans.

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