[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 97 (Friday, June 20, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 149TH ANNIVERSARY OF JUNETEENTH AND THE 21ST ANNUAL 
            CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 2014

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 149th 
anniversary of Juneteenth and the 21st annual celebration in Memphis, 
Tennessee. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in 
Galveston, Texas and announced in the town square that all slaves were 
free. Although this came nearly three years after the issuance of the 
Emancipation Proclamation, the newly freed men and women rejoiced in 
the streets with jubilant celebrations, and thus, the Juneteenth 
holiday was born.
  This year, the Memphis Juneteenth celebration was very different from 
past celebrations. First, the Board of Directors changed the name of 
the celebration from the ``Juneteenth Freedom & Heritage Festival'' to 
the ``Juneteenth Urban Music Festival.'' Second, the celebration took 
place in the Robert R. Church Park on Beale Street in Downtown Memphis 
instead of the historic Douglass Neighborhood, where the celebration 
has taken place for the past twenty years.
  The importance of this change in location to the Robert R. Church 
Park is especially significant to the celebration of this important day 
in history. Robert R. Church was born in Memphis on October 26, 1885 
and soon became a prominent civil rights leader in the City of Memphis 
and in the State of Tennessee. In 1916, he founded the Lincoln League, 
which helped African Americans in the Memphis area by organizing voter 
registration drives and paying poll taxes for those who could not 
afford it. Through the Lincoln League alone, he enabled thousands of 
African Americans in the Memphis area to exercise their right to vote 
in local, state and national elections. However, his work did not stop 
there. In 1917, he chartered the first Tennessee chapter of the NAACP 
in Memphis. Two years later, his dedication to the organization and its 
mission was recognized when he was elected to serve on the national 
board.
  Robert R. Church continues to be a prominent and revered political 
figure in Memphis because of his work to make the processes of 
government inclusive to all members of society, regardless of race or 
social class. As such, the Juneteenth celebration this year focused on 
the same mission: expanding the Juneteenth celebration so that 
thousands more people may take place in this joyous celebration. This 
year, the celebration included a variety of musical performances 
varying from gospel performers to neo soul artists. In addition to 
these performances, the celebration offered a poetry slam and a 
showcase featuring majorettes, drummers, cheerleaders, and steppers. By 
appealing to all members of the community and relocating to a larger 
space, the Juneteenth celebration provided the people of Memphis with a 
celebration that was consistent with the mission of Robert R. Church: a 
mission of inclusiveness that we should all strive for as we continue 
to serve the people of our great nation.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a time to commemorate the end of slavery in 
America and to recognize the many contributions of African-American 
citizens. I ask my colleagues to join me in observing our nation's 
149th anniversary of Juneteenth and the 21st annual celebration in 
Memphis.

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