[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 19, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     RECOGNIZING THE 148TH ANNIVERSARY OF JUNETEENTH AND THE 20TH 
 CELEBRATION OF THE JUNETEENTH FREEDOM & HERITAGE FESTIVAL IN MEMPHIS, 
                               TENNESSEE

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 19, 2013

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 148th 
anniversary of the observance of Juneteenth in the United States. Even 
though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham 
Lincoln in September 1862, it was not until June 19, 1865, that Union 
Soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger granted freedom to the 
last slaves in Galveston, Texas. This year also marks the 20th annual 
Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Festival in Memphis. To commemorate 
this day in our history and the contributions of many African-Americans 
to our nation, this year the festival has chosen the theme, ``Honoring 
African-American Medical Doctors.''
   Over the course of history, there have been many obstacles in the 
path to success for African-Americans in many fields, and the medical 
field is no exception. In fact, the nation's first African-American 
doctor, Dr. James McCune Smith was barred from attending medical school 
in New York City, where he lived, so he attended medical school in 
Scotland and obtained his degree in 1837. He then returned to New York, 
set up a medical practice in lower Manhattan, and became the resident 
physician at an orphanage. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. 
Smith served as a schoolteacher, a prolific writer and a strong 
abolitionist. The bravery of Dr. Smith paved the way for more African-
American doctors to climb the ranks to prominence.
   Because Memphis is a medical center, the city has seen its own share 
of African-American doctors who have made a difference in the lives of 
their patients and left their respective marks on the medical 
community. Dr. Edward Reed was the first black general surgeon to set 
up practice in Memphis and to integrate the surgical staffs of Memphis 
hospitals during the 1960s. Dr. Lawrence Seymour was a pioneer in the 
fight against prostate cancer, developing several new treatments for 
the disease, including one that shrinks the prostate gland before 
surgery. Dr. Linkwood Williams moved to Memphis, after his tenure 
training many of the 450 pilots who served in the 332nd Fighter Group 
at Tuskegee University, and began an OB-GYN practice, becoming the 
first African-American OB-GYN in the city. Dr. Vasco Smith, a civil 
rights leader and the first African-American elected to the Shelby 
County Commission, also served the medical community as a well-
respected dentist and an instrumental founder of the Regional Medical 
Center at Memphis. Dr. Ethelyn Williams-Neal worked to become one of 
the first black pediatricians in Memphis, and she continues to serve as 
a prominent pediatrician in the Memphis community.
   Mr. Speaker, it is in the spirit of these great medical 
professionals that I ask my colleagues to join me in observing our 
nation's 148th anniversary of Juneteenth and the celebrations in 
Memphis. This is a time to reflect upon the end of slavery in America 
and to recognize the many contributions of African-American citizens. 
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, the Emancipation Proclamation 
``came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.''

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