[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 102 (Tuesday, June 19, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H5274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, today is Juneteenth, a day to celebrate the 
end of slavery in the United States.
  The destructive history of slavery in this country flows through the 
fabric of our social conscience, but much more so during the month of 
June.
  On June 19, 1865--hence, the name Juneteenth--the Union Army took 
control over Texas. It is on that date, 2\1/2\ years after the fact, 
when slaves in Texas learned about the Emancipation Proclamation. That 
is how dominant the institution of slavery was. Slave owners were able 
to keep freedom a secret for 2\1/2\ years.
  The end of slavery didn't mean freedom came overnight. It took a 
cultural transformation and the course of a hundred years before 
African Americans could even vote. And the effects of slavery continue 
still today.
  On Juneteenth, we celebrate the end of slavery and aspire to be fully 
free.

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