[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 192 (Thursday, December 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E3048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE NATIONAL EMANCIPATION COMMEMORATION ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 16, 2009

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce, on behalf of 
myself and my colleagues Dan Lungren of California, Sheila Jackson-Lee 
of Texas, and Alcee Hastings of Florida, the National Emancipation 
Commemoration Act of 2009. This legislation will establish an 18-member 
National Emancipation Commemoration Commission to provide for an 
appropriate national observance of the 150th anniversaries of the 
Emancipation Proclamation in 2013, the Thirteenth Amendment to the 
Constitution in 2015, and related events, and to conduct a study 
exploring why modern slavery continues to exist in the United States 
and elsewhere.
  Our Nation's history is unfortunately intertwined with the story of 
slavery and the slave trade. For hundreds of years, men, women and 
children were captured and taken from Africa and enslaved in the 
American colonies. Yet alongside the history of slavery in the United 
States, we also remember the stories of those who fought against the 
abhorrent practice--some with the pen, and some with the sword. The 
work and lives of historical figures like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner 
Truth, and Harriet Tubman are familiar to our classrooms and history 
books. Other abolitionists are less well-known, such as Levi and 
Catherine Coffin, a Quaker couple in Indiana who helped over 3,000 
slaves escape to freedom.
  The struggle for freedom for all Americans reached a new height on 
January 1,1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation 
Proclamation. With it, he declared ``that all persons held as slaves'' 
within the States rebelling against the Union ``are, and henceforward 
shall be free.'' As the Union Army advanced on the Confederate 
territory, thousands of slaves gained their freedom each day. Shortly 
after the war ended, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was 
adopted, prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the 
United States.
  Despite these milestones, slavery has not yet been relegated to the 
pages of history. An estimated 27 million people are still in servitude 
worldwide--including an estimated 50,000 or more people enslaved in the 
United States.
  The National Emancipation Commemoration Commission's work is two-
fold. It will advise the Attorney General on making grants available to 
government and non-profit entities for activities and programs related 
to the commemoration. These activities may include the publication of 
scholarly research, production of a commemorative stamp or coin, and 
the development of informational displays and programs at National 
Parks and historic sites related to slavery, the Underground Railroad, 
and the Emancipation throughout the United States.
  The Commission created by this bill is also tasked with connecting 
the commemoration of Emancipation with the problem of modern slavery in 
the United States and around the world. The Thirteenth Amendment to the 
Constitution is a living promise of freedom that places a duty on all 
of us to prevent involuntary servitude. In support of that duty, the 
Commission will conduct a study addressing why slavery in all its forms 
still exists, analyzing the persistence of modern slavery in the United 
States from 1865 to the present, and make recommendations to address 
issues and concerns highlighted by the study.
  For as long as there have been slaves in this country, there have 
been justice-minded individuals and groups dedicated to the abolition 
of slavery. It is appropriate that we commemorate their work and the 
150th anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth 
Amendment, and in so doing, renew our commitment to ending modern 
slavery in the United States and around the world.

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