[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 102 (Thursday, June 19, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1293-E1294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMEMORATING JUNETEENTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 2008

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and 
recognize Juneteenth as a pivotal moment in our nation's history when 
the last American slaves learned of their freedom and the legal 
practice of slavery in the United States officially ended.
  On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived with over 
2,000 troops on Galveston Island to deliver the news of freedom and 
enforce the two-year-old Emancipation Proclamation. The news came in 
the aftermath of the deadliest war in American history and a nation 
fractured by loss and resentment. However, in the midst of social and 
political turmoil, a new opportunity for all people to share the 
quintessential American experience of freedom emerged. 90 years after 
gaining independence, our young nation took a crucial step toward 
finally ensuring that the value of freedom was not simply rhetorical, 
but a right to be given to all Americans.
  Sadly, the legal abolishment of slavery has not guaranteed the legal 
abolishment of inequality and unequal representation. As we all know, 
it would be another century before African Americans were given the 
same rights as white Americans.
  In the years after emancipation and Jim Crow, the United States has 
made serious improvements in drafting and implementing laws and 
policies that encourage equality. However, serious economic, health and 
educational disparities persist for many in the black community and 
other communities of color. These inequities threaten to exacerbate the 
division between those who have and those who do not.
  Today, we are confronted with two contrasting images of black America 
that are really two sides of the same coin. The countless sacrifices 
and efforts of previous generations have made it possible for blacks 
and other minority groups to excel and break boundaries from our 
nation's classrooms to the space program. And, for the first time in 
our history, the idea of a black president is not simply a fantastic 
dream, but a serious hope and possibility.
  Yet, in this same land and era of opportunity, black people across 
the socioeconomic spectrum have a lower life expectancy, higher 
instances of heart disease, greater rates of infant mortality and 
hypertension, and receive

[[Page E1294]]

overall inferior healthcare compared to whites. What's more, blacks are 
more likely to fall victim to a justice system that prioritizes 
punitive criminalization over rehabilitation. Our children are victims 
of inadequate educational systems and African Americans receive lower 
incomes than others in our country with similar experience. Lastly, 
HIV/AIDS, a disease that has taken the lives of millions of men, women 
and children around the world is most rampant in the black community 
with the majority of new infections occurring in young African American 
women.

  So while America takes time to commemorate this historic day, we must 
also recognize that there is much more to be done both here and abroad. 
African Americans in this country know first hand the travesties of 
slavery. As such, we must lead the way for others to achieve their own 
freedom.
  According to the International Labor Organization, between 12 and 27 
million people are the victims of forced labor worldwide. The majority 
of these men, women and children come from the poor and rural parts of 
countries that are in the midst of war, unstable economies, and 
political conflict. Whether forcibly removed or lured by false promises 
of opportunity, millions of the most desperate and vulnerable 
populations of the world are forced to work without pay in the 
agricultural, textile, service and sex industries under the constant 
threat of violence or death.
  Haiti was once hailed as one of the most profitable colonies in the 
Caribbean and was the first black led republic in modern history. Home 
to the most successful African slave rebellions in the Western 
Hemisphere, Haiti is now the poorest country in the Western hemisphere 
and is plagued by poverty, political unrest, hunger, disease and 
violence. Now, more than two hundred years after Haiti was declared a 
free republic, between 90,000 and 300,000 Haitian children alone are 
trafficked into areas where they are forced into slavery. Even right 
here in the U.S., despite our system of laws, an estimated 20,000 
people are trafficked into our country from all over the world to 
provide unpaid labor and services.
  The fact that our brothers and sisters to the south are enduring such 
conditions is unconscionable. We must support Haitians in their attempt 
to achieve sustainable development and restore dignity and 
socioeconomic stability to their proud nation. As the leader of the 
free world, we can and must do better to stop this and other 
injustices.
  Historian and Columbia Professor, Manning Marable wrote, ``Historical 
amnesia blocks the construction of potentially successful social 
movements.'' As we continue to fight for equality and justice in our 
communities and in Congress, we have a responsibility to ensure that 
our nation, particularly our young people, do not fall victim to 
historical amnesia.
  Because so many years have passed, many forget or dismiss the role 
that slavery and the fight for emancipation and racial equality played 
in constructing the social fabric of this country. Thankfully, this 
problem is entirely remediable, and we can engender a new commitment to 
understanding our past to build a better future.
  Madam Speaker, as we celebrate Juneteenth, I urge my colleagues in 
Congress to join me in reflecting on how our country has evolved into a 
nation that understands the importance of protecting the rights, 
liberties and privileges of all people. America has bettered itself by 
improving the lives of its citizens and people in the rest of the 
world. It is imperative that we continue our uniquely American 
tradition of fighting for equality and justice in our country and 
abroad.

                          ____________________