[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECOGNIZING JUNETEENTH

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                          HON. ANTONIO DELGADO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2019

  Mr. DELGADO. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize Juneteenth, the 
oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United 
States.
   At its core, Juneteenth is a bittersweet celebration of deferred 
liberation.
   While the Civil War ended at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, it took 
more than two months for word of General Robert E. Lee's surrender to 
reach Texas. When General Gordon Granger, stationed in Galveston, heard 
the news on June 19th, he issued a proclamation that announced the 
freedom of 250,000 slaves in the state. By that time, more than two and 
a half years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation took effect 
on January 1, 1863.
   Speaking at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln had prophesized 
that the Civil War would bring a new birth of freedom to America. 
However, for the quarter of a million slaves in Texas that freedom 
would come much later. And for millions of black Americans, the end of 
slavery meant new forms of oppressive labor practices, racial violence, 
police brutality, and the Jim Crow era.
   While there have been tremendous strides for racial equality in the 
last 70 years including Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights 
Act, affirmative action, and the election of our first black president, 
we know that we have a long way to go. We must continue to uphold our 
enduring commitment to equality and strive for a more just society for 
people of all creeds and colors.
   On Juneteenth, we remember the untold millions who suffered the 
horrors of slavery and celebrate the liberation of a people. We do so 
while keeping our eyes toward tomorrow, knowing that our best days as a 
nation are still ahead of us.

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