[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 103 (Monday, June 14, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2728-H2736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Jacobs of California). Under the 
Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of 
the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening for the 
Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour that deals with, of 
course, Juneteenth, a very special time that I am delighted--with the 
leadership of our chair, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty; and, of course, my 
coanchor, Congressman Torres of New York--that we stand here to provide 
this kind of leadership for this Congress and for this Nation.
  Let me extend my heartfelt appreciation for all of the leadership 
that have given us this time, including Speaker Pelosi and, of course, 
Leader Hoyer, and to acknowledge the significance to African Americans 
as it relates to Juneteenth.
  Coming from Texas, let me tell you that Juneteenth, a couple days 
from today, will be an amazing commemoration. We will be unveiling a 
mural in Galveston, where General Granger first came. I believe 
thousands will come. And if there will not be thousands, let you hear 
my voice: Thousands should come because what a historic moment.
  What does Juneteenth mean?
  It means an acknowledgment of those who were in bondage for over 200 
years. The Emancipation Proclamation--which, by the way, for the 150th 
commemoration, because we had not finished our congressional work, I 
was actually here at midnight--which is when President Abraham Lincoln 
signed it at the National Archives. Looking at the original 
Emancipation Proclamation, what a sense of emotion.
  But then to let you know that that did not free all of the slaves. 
Two years in bondage continued for those west of the Mississippi and 
many States until General Granger reached the shores of Galveston, 
still marked today in Texas, that said that you were free.
  Can you imagine? Two extra years of bondage. Couldn't get out. 
Couldn't read a newspaper or hold up a message that had come from your 
relative that lived in Georgia. Couldn't do anything.
  General Granger read these words of General Order Number 3, set off a 
joyous celebration of the freed men and women of Texas. I have no shame 
that it was called Jubilee. And there were a lot of picnics and what we 
called in the later years ``red punch.''

[[Page H2729]]

  Don't diminish our celebration. Don't diminish that joy in the midst 
of sorrow.
  How many died who could not see freedom?
  Here are the words: ``The people of Texas are informed that, in 
accordance with the Proclamation from the Executive of the United 
States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of 
rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and 
the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between 
employer and hired laborer.''
  Now, the word was said that they were offered, the slaves: Don't 
worry about it, just stay on the plantations, and we will pay you.
  I am grateful, but those courageous, but impoverished, without 
insight, without resources, without compensation, without recognition, 
they said in their own power: We are leaving the plantations.
  And they migrated up this road called Emancipation Trail.
  I am gratified that I was able to introduce such legislation where my 
Senate colleague, Senator Cornyn, joined me and now an Emancipation 
Trail has been established as law. It is now under study. It will be 
only the second commemoration of African-American history in this 
Nation. The Selma to Montgomery is the first, and now the Emancipation 
Trail that says: No, I was not going stay on the plantation; however, I 
was going to survive; whatever I had to place together, I was going to 
do it.
  Then, of course, lo and behold, they found themselves--eight of them, 
freed slaves, put their money together and purchased the first park 
bought in the State of Texas by freed slaves or anyone. They called it 
Emancipation Park.
  So that is why we are here to celebrate and to educate this idea of 
what it means to celebrate Juneteenth. I am delighted that we have 
introduced a resolution that is bipartisan. But the most exciting part 
about this is that I have introduced a bill that establishes Juneteenth 
as a national Federal holiday. Not removing any other holiday, but 
adding it to the list. Cosponsored by Senator Markey and Senator 
Cornyn, and bipartisan. Over 160 cosponsors in the House.
  I think it is worthy to have a holiday--a Federal holiday 
established, and I am very proud to have been the Congressperson for 
Representative Al Edwards, who is called the father of Juneteenth, 
establishing the first paid State holiday in the State of Texas 
highlighting, honoring, revering Juneteenth.
  You will hear many of us continue our discussions about Juneteenth, 
its significance in terms of freedom. And I am delighted, as I said, to 
be coanchoring with my colleague. It is important to express our 
appreciation to our chair, the Honorable Barbara Lee, a Californian but 
born in Texas with a grandfather born in Galveston. She knows what 
Juneteenth, the significance, the power of it is, and her legislative 
legacy speaks to freedom.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the Honorable Barbara Lee.

                              {time}  1945

  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, first of all, let me thank the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for yielding but also for her 
tremendous leadership and for the Emancipation Trail that she so boldly 
led. I am just amazed at what she shared with me earlier today and just 
now on the floor.
  Because, yes, I am a daughter of Texas. My grandfather was born in 
1875--10 years after. And my grandmother may have been part of the 
Emancipation Trail. She was born probably in--they left Galveston 
around 1900.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. She would have been part of it at a later time, but 
that trail, since we know for sure there were no other ways of moving, 
she had to walk along that semi-developed trail of little cities from 
Galveston--walk along, drive along, in whatever capacity, and when I 
say ``drive along,'' horse and buggy and otherwise.
  That was a trail that the freed slaves, the ex-slaves, went from 
Galveston all the way. There was the Reedy A.M.E., if I am correct, one 
of the historic A.M.E. churches where they stopped for refuge. Then 
they came on up, and they sought their way to freedom. They were not 
going to stay on the plantation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back to the gentlewoman.
  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, that sounds like my great-
grandmother Fanny, who I did not know, but my grandfather spoke of her. 
I am certain that she was part of that.
  As I listened to my colleague and looked more into my personal family 
history, Galveston, certainly, is in my spirit. I guess that is why 
each and every year since I was a child, we continued to celebrate 
Juneteenth as our liberation day, our emancipation day.
  Historically, we generally recognize January 1, 1863, the date when 
the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, as the end of chattel slavery 
of African Americans in the United States. However, for generations, 
African-American communities have been celebrating June 19 as a 
symbolic date representing our freedom from enslavement.
  As Congresswoman Jackson Lee mentioned, Major General Gordon Granger 
arrived in Galveston to announce the end of the Civil War. He also 
declared that the enslaved Africans were now equal in personal rights 
to that of their former masters, ending the inhumane, barbaric 
subjugation of African Americans as property that still continued 2\1/
2\ years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
  Again, we are not far removed from this history. Citing my 
grandfather, I have to call his name: Mr. W.C. Parish, William Calhoun 
Parish. He was born in Galveston, just 10 years after Granger's 
Juneteenth announcement.
  Black Texans began celebrating Juneteenth the following year, and 
year after year for the last 150-plus years. Communities across the 
Nation have created their own traditions and events to honor and 
commemorate this historic moment as a day of freedom.
  It is not just a cultural celebration for African Americans. It is a 
true testament to the endurance of our democratic ideals of liberty and 
equality.
  So, we need to pass H.R. 1320, the Juneteenth National Independence 
Day Act, establishing Juneteenth as a Federal holiday to further cement 
the importance of this date in our Nation's historical narrative on 
freedom.
  I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee, again, for introducing this 
legislation, and I am a proud cosponsor. The last time Congress enacted 
a Federal holiday, I believe it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 
birthday, and it took nearly 20 years for it to pass. We cannot let 
this idle.
  Each year, Juneteenth compels us to confront the darkest chapter in 
American history, a chapter born in the Middle Passage, continued 
through slavery, and manifested today through systemic racism. Our 
Nation's racial past has consistently led to inequities in income, 
education, employment, healthcare, and the wealth gap of African 
Americans.
  We must use Juneteenth to reflect upon the dehumanization of enslaved 
Africans in America but also to honor their legacy because ``and still 
we rise.''
  The labor stolen from enslaved Africans built this country. Black 
people created some of the most cherished national symbols, all while 
considered merely three-fifths of a person under our Constitution.
  We must honor and recognize the millions of men, women, and children 
lost to the brutality of slavery. As a Nation, we must reckon with the 
true nature and legacy of slavery in the United States and acknowledge 
how it has allowed a false racial hierarchy to permeate and infect our 
society today.
  That is why, Congresswoman Jackson Lee, it is time to pass H.R. 40, 
legislation to establish a commission to study and develop 
reparations--championed, again, by a great Texan--to repair this 
damage, and my resolution, H.R. 19, calling for truth, racial healing, 
and transformation.
  It is way too long. It is past overdue. We must repair this damage 
and move forward.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Jackson Lee for this evening. I thank our 
CBC chairwoman, Joyce Beatty, and our vice chair, Mr. Horsford, for 
this Special Order tonight. I think it is very important that the 
history be told of Juneteenth and how it connects to today and systemic 
racism.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for honoring my ancestors.

[[Page H2730]]

  

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to be able to have 
a Californian with deep roots in Texas on the floor because what this 
says to our body is that this issue of slavery permeated all aspects of 
this Nation. We can see that from the work, the commitment, and the 
compassion of the Honorable Barbara Lee, followed by, of course, a 
native daughter of Wisconsin who saw it in a different form and is 
compelled to be on the floor today and who has championed for the 
impoverished as well and particularly championed for those who 
are experiencing modern-day impacts of slavery through inequities, 
through poverty, through welfare, and that has been treated unfairly. 
That is the Honorable Gwen Moore from Wisconsin.

  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding to me and for inviting me.
  Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to join my CBC colleagues in 
highlighting the importance of honoring the holiday and continuing the 
legacy of Juneteenth Day, the first one celebrated on June 19, 1865.
  As you have heard, this is the date on which Union Major General 
Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of both 
the Civil War and the inhumane system of legalized enslavement of 
Africans in the United States of America.
  Now, it must be noted that this announcement came 2\1/2\ years after 
President Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order that most of us 
know as the Emancipation Proclamation. But it is an important reminder 
that our efforts to form a more perfect Union don't really have any 
timeframe or any date, but they are ever ongoing.
  Madam Speaker, I want you to know that in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 
which I hail, we are going to be celebrating Juneteenth Day, and it 
will be the 50th anniversary of Juneteenth Day. Yes, in Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin, up north, we started observing this holiday in 1971. It is a 
long way from Galveston, Texas, making it one of the first Northern 
States to commemorate the end of slavery in our country.
  Madam Speaker, this Saturday, we will again gather along North King 
Drive to highlight Black culture with traditional food, music, youth 
essay contests, marketplaces, pageants, and a parade, unofficially 
marking the opening of Milwaukee's famous summer festival. This coming 
Friday, we will be raising the Juneteenth flag in the State capital of 
Madison, Wisconsin, to honor this day. We take Juneteenth seriously.
  Madam Speaker, in 1972, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported an 
estimated 3,000 people attending our second annual Juneteenth festival. 
That number increased over the years, and between 160,000 and 170,000 
people have attended these festivals. The high number of festival-goers 
can be personally attributed to Milwaukee's notably special, historic 
response to the system of slavery and to our efforts to teach the young 
people about Wisconsin's and Milwaukee's role in ending slavery.
  Now, in 1854, a Missouri slave owner traveled to Racine, Wisconsin, 
the place where I was born, 27 miles south of Milwaukee, to demand that 
a runaway slave by the name of Joshua Glover be surrendered under the 
U.S. Fugitive Slave Law. Glover, who had been playing cards at the 
time, was arrested and carried 27 miles north to Milwaukee so that he 
could be in a secure jail until the Federal marshals could move Joshua 
Glover back to Missouri because it was a larger and more secure jail.
  Well, when abolitionist newspaper editor Sherman Booth heard this, he 
rode through Milwaukee streets calling on sympathizers to storm the 
jail. A mob of 5,000 Milwaukeeans outnumbered the police and demanded 
the keys, but the wardens refused. The crowd smashed down the door. 
Joshua Glover was freed and successfully moved through the Underground 
Railroad to Canada.
  Booth later declared in court:

       I rejoice that the first attempt to convert our jail into a 
     slave-pen and our citizens into slave-catchers has signally 
     failed.

  The Wisconsin State Supreme Court agreed with him and declared the 
Federal Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional in Wisconsin. In fact, in 
1850, Wisconsin was the first and only State to declare the Fugitive 
Slave Law unconstitutional.
  As one of my constituents, the curator of the Wisconsin Black 
Historical Society, noted, the Juneteenth holiday signifies that 
African Americans are full citizens of this country, deserving of 
equity and justice.
  Madam Speaker, it is an important day of jubilation not only for the 
descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States but for the 
American people as a whole, for it is not just simply Black history 
that we are celebrating. We are celebrating a victory in American 
history about freedom and equality for all of us who call ourselves 
Americans.
  While it may have been the 13th and the 14th Amendments of the 
Constitution that formally freed the slaves, let us continue to observe 
Juneteenth Day as our day of reflection, knowing that our ancestors 
paid in blood and paid it forward for the unimaginable toil for the 
freedom recognized on this day.
  As I often tell our young people: Freedom just ain't free, y'all. Our 
ancestors paid for it. And as a tribute to them, we have to take 
responsibility to do the best that we can and continue to work 
tirelessly toward justice and equity in this great land of ours.
  Madam Speaker, that is why I admire Sheila Jackson Lee and Barbara 
Lee so much for their efforts around reparations and equity in our 
society.
  With that good news arriving in Galveston, the push for true equality 
of opportunity continues to this great day in our society. We see it 
reflected in the marches, in the movements, in the legislation, and in 
everything that we do today, because despite our being free, we see the 
disparities in healthcare, in education, in homeownership, in COVID.
  The struggle is real. The struggle continues. And we are here to 
remind everyone that all of us are Americans.
  Madam Speaker, I again thank Sheila Jackson Lee for yielding.

                              {time}  2000

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, what a rich and enriching discussion. 
Thank you to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin. That is why we gathered 
here, to say to America, we come from the Midwest, the South, the East, 
and we still find a common bond around the question of Juneteenth, 
reparations, and of course, voting rights that are so important.
  But as I yield, let me be very clear, these are American values. 
These are values that my friends on the other side of the aisle could 
adopt, just like I could adopt.
  Why? Because I don't know anyone that would extinguish freedom and 
deny that where there is bondage and where freedom comes, we should 
celebrate it, but we should tell the story about it, and we should 
respond to it.
  Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings), who has a number of historical 
monuments in Florida that indicates her knowledge and understanding of 
freedom.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Madam Speaker, as you know, our Nation was created with 
the highest ideals and values. Our new Nation was set aside to be a 
beacon of hope where we could build our hopes and dreams and calm our 
fears. We are known as the home of the brave and land of the free.
  Yes, the history is clear, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the 
Emancipation Proclamation, America demonstrated its ability to rise to 
its values. But America's history, as we all know, is complicated. For 
it took 2 years, from January 1 of 1863 to June 19 of 1865, for the 
last group of enslaved Americans to receive official word that they 
were indeed free.
  But we know today, Madam Speaker, that our work is not yet done. We 
are still a work in progress. We the people, in order to form a more 
perfect union, we are a work in progress.
  Let us celebrate Juneteenth, as we should. But celebrating freedom 
must be more than just a special day. It must be a celebration of who 
as a Nation we say we are; one who says we believe in justice for all.
  Yes, America celebrates being free, celebrates our freedom from 
physical bondage, but we must also celebrate freedom from 
discrimination. We must also celebrate freedom from racism. We must 
also celebrate freedom from poverty. We must also celebrate freedom

[[Page H2731]]

from injustice. And we must also celebrate freedom from complacency.
  Mrs. Coretta Scott King said this: ``Struggle is a never ending 
process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every 
generation.''
  Madam Speaker, regardless of the color of our skin, what State we are 
from, how much money we have in the bank, our religion, our gender, or 
our political party, we all have an obligation, and we all must carry 
the torch of freedom.
  Madam Speaker, I thank our chair who is leading this Special Order.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I can't imagine with the recounting 
of the story by Val Demings that we are not securing, how should I say 
it, multiple numbers of Members to join in the holiday pronouncement 
and resolution, and bill, rather, of Juneteenth, to support H.R. 40, 
and to recognize the value of commemorating and teaching about the 
history of African Americans.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), a 
person who has great knowledge and is a great storyteller, a fighter 
for justice, and a fellow member of the Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
leading this Special Order today on behalf of the Congressional Black 
Caucus as we rise together to celebrate the African-American community 
and to commemorate an unsung holiday known as Juneteenth.
  Now, I was 21 years old when I first heard of Juneteenth. That was 
the year that I arrived in Texas to go to law school at Texas Southern 
University.
  Having been born here in the District of Columbia, somewhat north--
some folks say it is south, but I considered it to be the north, but 
now I accept it as being in the south.
  Back then, I didn't learn anything about Juneteenth living here in 
Washington, D.C., nor did I learn about it when I moved south to 
Atlanta at the age of 17. So the first time I heard was in Texas, and 
it was a joyful celebration, a joyful day. But since I have left Texas 
and gone back to Georgia, we don't really celebrate Juneteenth in 
Georgia.
  Right now, this year, will constitute the first county in Georgia--it 
would be my home county, DeKalb County--that will recognize and 
celebrate Juneteenth as a holiday. And it is a holiday that should be 
enjoyed by all of Americans, not just by Black people, but by White 
people, too, because when one of us are in bondage, it means all of us 
are in bondage. When all of us are free is when we are truly free.
  So Juneteenth marks the 156th celebration of the ending of slavery in 
this Nation, and since then we have made significant strides in the 
expansion of civil rights. We have outlawed segregation, integrated our 
schools, and done important work to increase access to the polls.
  Nonetheless, even 156 years later, America and the way her laws are 
applied remain biased against the Black man. Our neighborhoods and our 
schools are still subject to de facto segregation, and schools with 
larger African-American populations are unlikely to receive adequate 
funding and support.
  Our justice system is a continuation of this systemic bias. Under the 
guise of public protection, we arrest and forcibly confine African 
Americans five times as often as White Americans for the exact same 
crimes. Now, these realities directly contradict American ideals.
  And so on this anniversary of Juneteenth, I believe the best way to 
celebrate the community and honor our past is to take deliberate action 
to make our country a just and equitable home for all Americans.
  But how can we do that when Republicans are now on this issue called 
critical race theory, and they want to ban all discussion about this 
legal concept that they have turned into a political football. It was a 
legal concept that now has taken on some kind of a dastardly meaning.

  And the only thing it is, is first an acknowledgment that the 
vestiges of racism, the vestiges of slavery and racism still exist in 
this country, and a discussion about how it impacts our current 
reality. That is all that we are talking about. We are talking about 
realizing history, celebrating history in the case of Juneteenth. We 
have a lot to celebrate, and all of us should celebrate, but we cannot 
do that unless we know what our history is.
  And my friends on the other side of the aisle are taking deliberate 
acts now to suppress it. I told you, I just heard about it, you know, 
when I was 21 years old. You know, we need our people to know about 
this. We need America to know about it, and we can all celebrate 
together, just like we do with all the other holidays like 
Thanksgiving, for instance.
  Madam Speaker, I don't mean to be divisive, but I do want to speak 
truth.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as I get ready to yield to the 
distinguished gentleman from Las Vegas, Nevada, I want to make sure he 
lets me know my pronunciation is correct, it is a very sensitive 
question.
  But as the gentleman from Georgia leaves, let me at least acknowledge 
that critical race theory. Here is the question I ask: Should I not 
know about Italians and how they came and were treated? Should I not 
know about the Irish who left in the midst of the potato famine and 
faced discrimination? Should I not know about Native Americans?
  So we are the American experiment. Does everybody realize that? No 
one thought that we would ever survive, and we have come together with 
a multitude of groups. Our strength is in the recognition of our 
differences, and in our unity.
  This came out of Texas. This Representative is all over. He 
misinterprets the teaching by teachers. He has never sat in the class 
to know that teachers are not condemning, they are just educating. 
Isn't it wonderful in little babies' minds to not put condemnation but 
to put understanding so that we can appreciate each other's condition?
  Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield to the gentleman from Nevada 
(Mr. Horsford), who is the first vice chair of the Congressional Black 
Caucus but sits on the Ways and Means Committee. And if he will allow 
me, I just want to make this point.
  You are seeing Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I can 
tell you our agenda is as wide and varied as America, from taxation to 
agriculture to tech to criminal justice to the issues that American is 
facing, job creation.
  But we also understand that we would be remiss if we did not stand on 
the floor to be able to give our own life experiences and to share with 
America what the value of our diversity is all about.
  Madam Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. 
Horsford).
  Mr. HORSFORD. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman from Texas, 
the esteemed Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, for her yielding and her 
leadership in anchoring this Special Order hour along with our 
colleague, Congressman Torres.
  I commend both of them for the leadership that they provide in 
bringing our voice as the Congressional Black Caucus to the floor of 
the House of Representatives during this Special Order hour.
  Madam Speaker, I thank our Chairwoman Joyce Beatty for recognizing 
just how important it is for the Congressional Black Caucus to speak on 
so many important issues.
  Today is the commemoration for the Juneteenth holiday that we now 
recognize and to commemorate June 19th, 1865, when some of the last 
enslaved people in the United States learned that they were free.
  But as my colleagues have spoken about here tonight, more than 2 
years before the first Juneteenth, President Lincoln issued the 
Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in Confederate 
States.
  Instead, though, slave owners hid the news of emancipation and kept 
free people in captivity, but on Juneteenth the truth set them free. 
And Juneteenth is now a celebration, a commemoration of the power of 
that truth.
  A lot of people want to hide our history, they want to not speak 
about the truth of our history, but there are truths, like 
emancipation, that merit us speaking and celebrating and commemorating, 
as we are doing. But we also must reckon with the horrors of this past 
that is also part of the United States history.

[[Page H2732]]

  


                              {time}  2015

  As we honor Juneteenth, we must remember the decades of Jim Crow laws 
and white supremacist terror that followed even after the freeing of 
enslaved Black peoples. We must remember the Tulsa race massacre and 
the destruction of Black Wall Street as we do other race massacres that 
have occurred during our history. And we must commit to understanding 
how systemic racism has shaped our Nation's past and, sadly, its 
present.
  I am the first African-American Congressman from the State of Nevada, 
so I feel uniquely honored to bring the voices of my community and my 
constituents to the floor of this House. I am also proud that in my 
district and across the Silver State, Juneteenth celebrations have 
multiplied in recent years with the help of scholars and leaders, 
including Diane Pollard, who literally was one of my educators in high 
school; Al Gourrier, Sr.; Deborah Evans; and many other luminaries who 
have carried on the spirit of Juneteenth.
  This week, throughout my district, we are celebrating the 20th 
anniversary of the Las Vegas Juneteenth Festival, which supports 
educational programming for underserved youth through the Rainbow 
Dreams Education Foundation and the Rainbow Dreams Academy Charter 
School.
  I also want to recognize the Save Our Sons Juneteenth Festival, which 
brings our community together to celebrate Juneteenth and to support 
mentoring for underserved youth.
  You see, Madam Speaker, Juneteenth isn't just about what happened in 
the past. It is what is continuing to happen right now, today, in the 
present.
  As Juneteenth celebrations grow, so does our collective understanding 
about the vibrant Black culture and history that have shaped our Nation 
since its founding.
  So let us embrace Juneteenth 2021 as a day of truth. Let us remember 
the joys and sorrows of our history. And let us build from them toward 
a more perfect Union, with true liberty, true justice, and true 
equality for all.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the anchor for yielding, and I thank my 
colleagues for coming to the floor to bring commemoration for 
Juneteenth 2021.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. May I ask the Speaker the time remaining, please.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Texas has 22 minutes 
remaining.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to yield to a 
gentleman with a storied and layered history entrenched in one of the 
States that suffered the extension of slavery and faces its challenges 
today, of which this gentleman has been in the mix and in the gap of 
fighting for justice. We are excited about his presence here. I am so 
honored and privileged that he has chosen, with all of the work he has 
to do because he was elected in a special election, this moment in 
history to present his first speech on the floor of the House.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Louisiana 
(Mr. Carter).
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman so 
much for her incredible leadership on this issue and so many others. We 
appreciate all that she does, and we appreciate her steadfast and 
steady hand of guidance and leadership for the people of America.
  Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to address this 
body. On Freedom's Eve, January 1, 1863, enslaved and free African 
Americans gathered across the country, awaiting news that the 
Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. When the clock struck 
midnight, their prayers were answered, as it was declared that all 
enslaved people in Confederate States were legally free.
  While the 13th Amendment did end slavery under the law, not all who 
were enslaved were immediately freed. It took more than 2 years for the 
freedom to reach everyone when the Union troops arrived in Galveston 
Bay, Texas, to announce that more than 250,000 people within the State 
were free.
  It was this day, June 19, 1865, that we mark as the true day of 
freedom from the tyranny and oppression of slavery and the first steps 
into the Reconstruction era. We now honor this day, June 19, as 
Juneteenth.
  While Juneteenth is a historic day that has been widely known and 
celebrated by African Americans for over a century, it is clear that 
many Americans still are unaware of the significance of this historic 
date. In the wake of the demonstrations that took place last summer, 
many Americans were faced with the uncomfortable truth regarding our 
country's fraught racial history.
  The word ``Juneteenth'' entered our Nation's lexicon at a time when 
Americans were left to reconcile their daily lives with our daily 
struggles. It was a time set aside for reflection, for learning, for 
mourning, and for upheaval. Juneteenth marks the day that we as a 
nation were truly able to end the insidious practice of slavery and 
begin to move forward to a better world. It also marks that our country 
still struggles and must live up to its promise.
  Representative John Lewis was an American icon, a civil rights 
leader, and one of my personal heroes. In this Congress, we prepare to 
hear a bill in his name that expands voting rights, the very thing he 
was asked for as he crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge decades ago.
  In 2021, we continue to speak out and fight against systemic racism 
as its vestiges of voter suppression, redlining, gerrymandering, and 
other Jim Crow relics still erode our democracy today.
  What makes America great is our diversity. It is our ability to see 
and understand issues from the many different perspectives that 
encompass our populace. While America has broken some promises in the 
past, we, America collectively, have the ability and the potential to 
rectify our past wrongs. We strive to improve; we work to grow; and we 
push to remediate our problems and make them better.
  As of today, 47 States have declared Juneteenth a State holiday. My 
native State of Louisiana recently signed into law that Louisiana will 
now recognize Juneteenth as a State holiday. I am very proud of that 
measure, and I am very proud of our Governor, John Bel Edwards, for 
signing that measure into law. I am very proud of the legislators who 
fought to bring it forward.

  I am grateful for the steps that we have taken to recognize the 
history behind Juneteenth and to honor its legacy. That is why I 
believe that Juneteenth should be a federally observed holiday. This is 
America, and despite all of our many challenges, America continues to 
be the world's greatest nation.
  For this reason, I am optimistic about our future and optimistic 
about our corrections. Together, we can make our world a better place 
and uphold the promise of freedom and justice for all.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, let me congratulate the gentleman for 
the new law in Louisiana and for his leadership and his powerful 
message on this floor on the freedom, really, of all people. My freedom 
is your freedom, your freedom is my freedom, and our freedom is 
America's freedom.
  Let me express my appreciation to my co-anchor, the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Torres). I thank him for his leadership. Let me be very 
clear that both his history and his State as well have a vested history 
in liberty and freedom, but, yes, no place did escape the vestiges of 
slavery.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres).
  Mr. TORRES of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jackson 
Lee for her leadership.
  In order to understand where we stand in the present, we have to 
understand where we have been and how we came to arrive at a society as 
racially divided and as unequal as our own. For me, it is a scandal 
that most Americans have never heard of Juneteenth and most Americans 
have never heard of the Tulsa race massacre because these events are 
rarely, if ever, taught in public education.
  Juneteenth is not only not taught in our public schools, but there is 
not even a national holiday celebrating an event that has profound 
meaning to Black Americans, to all Americans. So I want to commend the 
gentlewoman's leadership in advancing a bill that would establish 
Juneteenth as a national holiday.
  Frederick Douglass famously posed the question: What to a slave is 
July Fourth?
  Juneteenth is to Black America what July Fourth has exclusively been 
to

[[Page H2733]]

White America: Independence Day. Juneteenth refers to the moment when 
slaves in Texas came to discover their legal freedom under the 
Emancipation Proclamation. Out of that discovery came a 156-year 
tradition of Juneteenth celebration. It refers to the moment when Major 
General Gordon Granger led a Union Army to Texas to enforce the 
Emancipation Proclamation 2\1/2\ years after its issuance.
  The announcement was known as General Order Number 3, and it read as 
follows: ``The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a 
proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are 
free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights 
of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection 
heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and 
hired labor.''
  For me, Juneteenth contains a deeper lesson that we ignore at our own 
peril. Law becomes real not when it is proclaimed but when it is 
enforced.
  The emancipation of enslaved people became real not when it was 
proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln but when it was enforced by the Union 
Army, most notably on Juneteenth.
  The desegregation of our public schools became real not when it was 
proclaimed by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education but when 
it was enforced most notably by President Eisenhower, who sent the 
National Guard to Little Rock, Arkansas.
  Voting rights became real not when it was proclaimed by the 15th 
Amendment but when it was enforced a century later by the Voting Rights 
Act enforced by the process of preclearance, which has since been 
gutted by the Supreme Court but which we are seeking to restore with 
the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
  Reconstruction was doomed by a lack of Federal enforcement. In the 
beginning, Reconstruction had early success. It saw the passage of the 
13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; the 14th Amendment, which 
provided for equal protection of the law and which prohibited 
discrimination based on race; and the 15th Amendment, which provided 
for voting rights and which prohibited disenfranchisement based on 
race.
  During Reconstruction, scores of African Americans began exercising 
their fundamental right to vote, and some African Americans began 
winning elective office. For a fleeting moment, there was an outburst 
of Black political power in America. Then came a turning point in the 
1876 Presidential election, whose outcome was decided by a 
congressional commission.
  Then-Presidential candidate Rutherford B. Hayes cut a deal with white 
supremacists in the United States Congress. He agreed to withdraw the 
Union Army from the former Confederate States in exchange for the 
Presidency. When the Union Army withdrew from the South, it left behind 
a vacuum that ultimately came to be filled by Jim Crow, a system of 
racial discrimination, racial segregation, and racial terrorism.

                              {time}  2030

  What followed the failure of Reconstruction was the lost century.
  Madam Speaker, for me, the lesson of Juneteenth is that an activist 
Federal Government is an essential defender of human rights and civil 
rights. It is an essential defender of equality and dignity and 
humanity for all Americans. We must learn from the lessons of history, 
and we must continue the work of Reconstruction that is long overdue.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I say to the gentleman from New York, 
it is an esteemed pleasure to be able to draw upon both his knowledge 
and scholarship--might I stand on his shoulders--an activist Federal 
Government.
  For some reason, as we face these trials and tribulations of 2021, 
there is a hesitancy to realize that the Federal Government is, in 
simplistic terms, an umbrella on a rainy day. It is, in fact, the 
concrete barrier in the time of a storm. And that is why we are on the 
floor today.
  Let me acknowledge that an activist Federal Government, in the 
positive way, would be the government that would say that Italian 
history and Irish history, Latinx, Hispanic history, and Caribbean 
history, and African history, and the Pilgrim Pride history, and 
European history, and Asian-Pacific history, and Southeast Asian-
Pacific, and any others that I have left out, is valuable to be heard 
by our children's ears. It is valuable to be taught.
  Then they would be able to understand the gentleman's entreat, his 
request, which is H.R. 1320, which is bipartisan, that declares 
Juneteenth a national Federal holiday.
  And to the wrong representation of right-wing radio, it doesn't 
substitute any holiday. It adds it to the list of Federal holidays. It 
does not subtract any holiday; does not take any holiday away. Yet it 
acknowledges the importance of that day and, as well, it is led by 
Senators Markey and Cornyn, a Republican and Democrat in the United 
States Senate, and it is a bipartisan bill in the House.
  Is there any reason not to move this bill along as quickly as 
possible?
  And if there is a basis for not understanding what freedom meant, 
look at this slave that was symbolic of the life that slave led; but 
that is the light of being beat.
  What about those who were beaten to death or burned to death?
  It is no shame for our children to be taught this history. I know no 
teacher who would stand in the classroom and condemn children. I know 
teachers who are loving, and will give understanding, and let a child 
come out and say, I want a better America.
  Isn't that the kind of soldier and doctor and lawyer and teacher we 
want to build up? Isn't that the kind of citizen we want to grow?
  And then, if we want to make it realistic and home for our moment, as 
my colleagues have said, we spent 4 days in Tulsa, Greenwood, that was 
burned to the ground; 300 in an unmarked grave. This is what 1921 
looked like; not 1865, not 1810, not 1799, not 1724, when slavery was 
raging, if you will, 250 years. This is what it looked like in 1921; a 
black body burned on the streets of Greenwood.
  So when we talk about jubilee and freedom, we do it in a way that we 
can, as Americans, be free. And then I want to say that matches the 
Emancipation Trail that is now law in the State of Texas, that march 
from victory, when General Granger said you are free. It matches H.R. 
40, which is a non-offensive repair and reconciliation that speaks to 
the language that Justice Hughes said about Black Americans, the 
discrete and insular minority excluded from those political processes 
ordinarily to be relied upon to protect them. All throughout tenure 
here there were denials of our freedom.
  And then, of course, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., talked about an 
insufficient check; not of money, but he talked about that we have 
never been given justice and equality.
  So when we speak of the Emancipation Trail, only the second 
commemoration of the history of African Americans 250 years in bondage, 
when we speak of Juneteenth, it is for all to celebrate, when General 
Granger landed on the shores of Galveston.
  We will be in Galveston celebrating. We will see Naomi Carrier. We 
will see Eileen Lawal and Jackie Bostic, Ramon Manning and, of course, 
the Emancipation Conservatory. We will get to see Opal Lee, almost 100 
years old, fighting for this holiday, or Al Edwards. We will get to see 
Senator Cornyn, a Republican who joins us in this commemoration, and 
all others. We will get to see the Nation be able to understand in its 
finality that it must be clear, it must be our birthright.
  It is a reminder, this day, on Juneteenth, that liberty and freedom 
are precious birthrights of all Americans, which must be jealously 
guarded and preserved for future generations.
  That is why we are on the floor today. We are not in anger. We are 
not in anguish. We are here, in fact, for liberation, freedom, and the 
empowerment of all Americans.
  Let stories be told, no matter who you are. And let the story be told 
of those uniquely held in bondage, through H.R. 40, the Commission to 
Study and Develop Reparation Proposals, which we seek to put on the 
floor in this great month. And, of course, the national holiday of 
Juneteenth, along with the historic gift that we give to America, the 
Emancipation Trail, that all the world will be able to come.
  Madam Speaker, I am delighted to thank my chair, the Honorable Joyce 
Beatty, for her leadership in the Congressional Black Caucus. And 
because

[[Page H2734]]

of freedom, it is a wonderment to stand here, free, with my colleague 
from New York, my co-chair, the Honorable Congressman Torres, and all 
others.
  Isn't it precious?
  In God we trust that we stand here in freedom. Let us not ever lose 
it, and let us fight for it and let us keep it.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to anchor the Congressional 
Black Caucus's Special Order tonight on Juneteenth Independence Day.
  I am pleased to be joined by Congresswoman Beatty, the Chair of the 
CBC; Congressman Torres of New York, the co-anchor for this Special 
Order, and so many of our CBC colleagues to commemorate a historically 
significant day for all Americans, but especially African Americans.
  Let me extend on behalf of the CBC its heartfelt thanks to the House 
leadership, particularly Majority Leader Hoyer, for their support which 
paved the way for the House last year to pass by unanimous consent H. 
Res. 1001, the resolution I introduced recognizing Juneteenth 
Independence Day.
  Madam Speaker, Juneteenth is as significant to African Americans as 
July 4 is to all Americans because on that day, June 19, 155 years ago, 
General Gordon Granger, the Commanding Officer of the District of 
Texas, rode into Galveston, Texas and announced the freedom of the last 
American slaves; belatedly freeing 250,000 slaves in Texas nearly two 
and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation 
Proclamation.
  When General Granger read these words of General Order No. 3 set off 
joyous celebrations of the freedmen and woman of Texas:
  ``The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a 
Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are 
free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of 
property between former masters and slaves, and the connection 
therefore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired 
laborer.''
  Juneteenth was first celebrated in the Texas state capital in 1867 
under the direction of the Freedmen's Bureau.
  Juneteenth remains the oldest known celebration of slavery's demise, 
commemorating freedom while acknowledging the sacrifices and 
contributions made by courageous African Americans towards making our 
great nation the more conscious and accepting country that it has 
become.
  As the nation prepares to celebrate July 4th, our national day of 
independence, it is a time to reflect on the accomplishments of our 
nation and its people.
  I want to thank the Members of the House for their bipartisan support 
of this annual Juneteenth Resolution, which has 214 cosponsors, of 
which 202 are original sponsors.
  General Granger's reading of General Order No. 3 ended chattel 
slavery, a form of perpetual servitude that held generations of 
Africans in bondage in the United States for two-hundred and fortyeight 
years and opened a new chapter in American history.
  Recognizing the importance of this date, former slaves coined the 
word ``Juneteenth'' to mark the occasion with a celebration the first 
of which occurred in the Texas state capital in 1867 under the 
direction of the Freedmen's Bureau.
  Juneteenth was and is a living symbol of freedom for people who did 
not have it.
  Juneteenth remains the oldest known celebration of slavery's demise.
  It commemorates freedom while acknowledging the sacrifices and 
contributions made by courageous African Americans towards making our 
great nation the more conscious and accepting country that it has 
become.
  The celebration of Juneteenth followed the most devastating conflict 
in our country's history, in the aftermath of a civil war that pitted 
brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor and threatened to 
tear the fabric of our union apart forever that America truly became 
the land of the free and the home of the brave.
  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ``Freedom is never 
free,'' and African American labor leader A. Phillip Randolph often 
said ``Freedom is never given. It is won.''
  Truer words were never spoken.
  We should all recognize the power and the ironic truth of those 
statements, and we should pause to remember the enormous price paid by 
all Americans in our country's quest to realize its promise.
  Juneteenth honors the end of the 400 years of suffering African 
Americans endured under slavery and celebrates the legacy of 
perseverance that has become the hallmark of the African American 
experience in the struggle for equality.
  But Madam Speaker, as the poet Langston Hughes reminds us in his 
famous poem, ''Mother to Son,'' life in America for African Americans 
``ain't been no crystal stair.''
  The post-bellum period in America was marked by violence and 
terrorism against African Americans as they sought to make real the 
promises of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
  Nowhere was the reign of terror to which they were subjected to more 
horrific than the 1921 Tulsa-Greenwood Race Massacre, which occurred a 
century ago this past May 31-June 1.
  Tulsa's Greenwood District, was known as ``Black Wall Street,'' and 
was the most prosperous African American community in the United 
States.
  The Greenwood community with a population of over 10,000 Black people 
had stores that sold luxury items, 21 restaurants, 30 grocery stores, a 
hospital, a savings and loan bank, a post office, three hotels, jewelry 
and clothing stores, two movie theaters, a library, pool halls, a bus 
and cab service, a nationally recognized school system, six private 
airplanes, and two black newspapers.
  But on May 31st of that year, the 35 city blocks of Greenwood went up 
in flames, at least 300 Black persons were murdered and more than 800 
were injured; it is estimated that not less than 9,000 were left 
homeless and destitute.
  The message of the Tulsa Race Massacre was clear to Black America: 
``Stay in your place. Do not attempt to accumulate and bequeath wealth 
or own property. Remember your history in America is as chattel 
property.''
  Madam Speaker, were they still alive, the domestic terrorists of the 
mob in Greenwood would see their evil reenacted--and then followed by a 
similar attempt to cover-up it and foster collective amnesia--a century 
later in the siege and desecration of the hallowed halls of the U.S. 
Capitol, the 'Citadel of Democracy'.
  It should not be overlooked that the source of the January 6 white 
mob's irrational anger, hatred, and violent reaction was that Black 
Americans voted in overwhelming numbers in Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee, 
Philadelphia, and other enclaves to oust the most proWhite supremacy 
President since the Civil War.
  Some might ask ``Why dwell on the past? Let us forget unpleasant 
things and move on into the future.''
  My answer is to quote the great southern writer William Faulkner: 
``The past is never dead. It is not even the past.''
  The hatreds, prejudices, resentments, and white supremacy that Black 
Americans witnessed and suffered in Greenwood a century ago are not 
dead; they are not even past.
  So my message to the descendants of the survivors and victims of 
slavery, America's Original Sin, is to keep fighting for justice, to 
never be silent, to affirm the truth, and seek accountability.
  In his famous Second Inaugural Address, President Lincoln spoke of 
the profound moral debt owed for ``all the wealth piled by the 
bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil,'' and that 
the Civil War was the judgment of the Lord, which was ``true and 
righteous altogether.''
  That debt remains to be paid, which is why African Americans have 
always peacefully petitioned the government for the redress of its 
grievances.
  As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said at the 1963 March on 
Washington:
  ``In a sense, we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. 
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the 
Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a 
promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
  ``This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as 
white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, 
and the pursuit of happiness.
  ``It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory 
note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of 
honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a 
bad check, a check which has come back marked `insufficient funds.' But 
we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to 
believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of 
opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check--a check 
that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of 
justice.''
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 40, legislation I have introduced, continues this 
proud legacy of demanding reparative justice and accountability for 
injuries inflicted.
  H.R. 40, which establishes a national commission to examine slavery 
and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to 
the present and recommend appropriate remedies.
  Among other requirements, the commission shall identify (1) the role 
of federal and state governments in supporting the institution of 
slavery; (2) forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors 
against freed slaves and their descendants; and (3) lingering negative 
effects of slavery on living African-Americans and society.
  The goal of the historical investigations H.R. 40 mandates is to 
bring American society to a new reckoning with how our past affects the

[[Page H2735]]

current conditions of African Americans and to make America a better 
place by helping the truly disadvantaged.
  Consequently, the reparations movement does not focus on payments to 
individuals, but to remedies that can be created in as many forms 
necessary to equitably address the many kinds of injuries sustained 
from chattel slavery and its continuing vestiges.
  To merely focus on finance is an empty gesture and betrays a lack of 
understanding of the depth of the unaddressed moral issues that 
continue to haunt this nation.
  While it might be convenient to assume that we can address the 
current divisive racial and political climate in our nation through 
race neutral means, experience shows that we have not escaped our 
history.
  Though the Civil Rights Movement challenged many of the most racist 
practices and structures that subjugated the African American 
community, it was not followed by a commitment to truth and 
reconciliation.
  For that reason, the legacy of racial inequality has persisted, and 
left the nation vulnerable to a range of problems that continue to 
yield division, racial disparities, and injustice.
  By passing H.R. 40, Congress can start a movement toward the national 
reckoning we need to bridge racial divides.
  Reparations are ultimately about respect and reconciliation--and the 
hope that one day, all Americans can walk together toward a more just 
future.
  Official slavery ended with the Civil War and ratification of the 
Thirteenth Amendment.
  But unofficial slavery was continued with the new institution of 
share-crop farming, a criminal justice system that would press convicts 
into work once done by slaves, and labor policies that dictated income 
for work done based upon skin color.
  And, of course, all of this was reinforced by the systematic 
disenfranchisement of black Americans, the ``discrete and insular 
minority'' excluded from ``those political processes ordinarily to be 
relied upon to protect'' them, to quote Chief Justice Hughes' famous 
Footnote 4 in United States v. Carolene Products Company, 304 U.S. 144 
(1938).
  These are just some of the many reasons that the history of the 
United States is intertwined with the history of enslaved Africans in 
the Americas.
  ``There is blood and there are tears, but there is also redemption 
and reconciliation.
  But to get there, we must have the complete truth and lay our history 
bare. It is the light that sheds the way to the more perfect union all 
Americans want.
  ``The Commission created and empowered by H.R. 40 is a necessary 
first step in that effort to get to truth and reconciliation about the 
'Original Sin of American Slavery' that is necessary to light the way 
to the beloved community we all seek.''
  So, Madam Speaker, this is where we are.
  In recent years, a number of National Juneteenth Organizations have 
arisen to take their place alongside older organizations--all with the 
mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African 
American history and culture.
  Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom while encouraging 
self-development and respect for all cultures .
  But it must always remain a reminder to us all that liberty and 
freedom are precious birthrights of all Americans, which must be 
jealously guarded and preserved for future generations.

                            Press Statement

 Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces H.R. 1320 the Bipartisan 
Juneteenth National Independence Day Act--Currently Has 159 Sponsors in 
                               the House

       As the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee 
     on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, I am committed to 
     affording members of this committee to uncover the facts and 
     shine light into darkness to reveal the threats posed by `The 
     Rise of Domestic Terrorism in America.' On January 6, 2021, 
     the nation and the world witnessed the damage caused by 
     divisions acerbated by lies and hate.''
       Washington, DC--``Today I re-introduced in the House of 
     Representatives the bipartisan Juneteenth National 
     Independence Day Act, H.R. 1320, with 102 co-sponsors. The 
     House re-introduction coincides with the reintroduction of a 
     Senate companion bill by Senators Markey, Smith, and Booker. 
     Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, legislation when 
     enacted would make Juneteenth a federal holiday. 
     ``Juneteenth,'' is observed on June 19, and commemorates the 
     end of slavery in the United States and is also known as 
     ``Emancipation Day,'' ``Jubilee Day,'' and ``Juneteenth 
     Independence Day.''
       ``On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Major General 
     Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which announced 
     that, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, ``all 
     slaves are free. Juneteenth is currently recognized by 47 
     states and the District of Columbia as an official state 
     holiday or observance. In 1980, Texas was the first state to 
     recognize Juneteenth as a paid state holiday.''
       ``Juneteenth honors the end of the years of suffering that 
     African Americans endured under slavery and celebrates the 
     legacy of perseverance that has become the hallmark of the 
     African American experience in the struggle for equality. 
     These values are shared by millions of Americans who over 
     generations have held fast to the promise of this nation 
     while struggling fore basic human rights.''
       ``Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom while 
     encouraging selfdevelopment and respect for all cultures. But 
     it must always remain a reminder to us all that liberty and 
     freedom are the precious birthright of all Americans which 
     must be jealously guarded and preserved for future 
     generations. As it takes on a more national and even global 
     perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, 
     for all our roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a 
     national day of pride is growing. This is why we must 
     establish the Juneteenth Independence Day, as a national 
     holiday. And today we also pay special tribute to Opal Lee, 
     the Grandmother of Juneteenth!''

         TABLE 1.--STATES THAT COMMEMORATE OR OBSERVE JUNETEENTH
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Year of
               State                 Recognition         Citation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama............................         2011  2011 Ala. Adv. Legis.
                                                   Serv. 398
                                                   (LexisNexis)
Alaska.............................         2001  Alaska Stat. 
                                                   44.12.090 (2001)
Arizona............................         2016  Ariz. Rev. Stat.  1-
                                                   315 (Lexis Nexis
                                                   2016)
Arkansas...........................         2005  Ark. Code Ann.  1-5-
                                                   114 (2005)
California.........................         2003  Cal. Gov't Code  6719
                                                   (Deering 2003)
Colorado...........................         2004  H.J. Res. 04-1027,
                                                   64th Gen. Assemb.,
                                                   2nd Reg. Sess. (Co.
                                                   2004)
Connecticut........................         2003  Conn. Gen. Stat.  10-
                                                   29a(a)(48) (2003)
Delaware...........................         2000  Del. Code Ann. tit. 1,
                                                    604 (2000)
District of Columbia...............         2003  Res. 160, 15th,
                                                   Counsel, 2003 D.C.
Florida............................         1991  Fla. Stat.  683.21
                                                   (1991)
Georgia............................         2011  S. Res. 164, 151st
                                                   Gen. Assemb., Reg.
                                                   Sess (Ga. 1991)
Idaho..............................         2001  S. Con. Res. 101,
                                                   56th, Leg., Reg.
                                                   Sess. (Idaho 2001)
Illinois...........................         2003  5 Ill. Comp. Stat. 490/
                                                   63 (2003)
Indiana............................         2010  H. Con. Res. 38, 116st
                                                   Gen. Assemb., 2d Reg.
                                                   Sess. (Ind. 2010)
Iowa...............................         2002  Iowa Code  1C.14
                                                   (2002).
Kansas.............................         2007  S. Res. 1860, 82nd
                                                   Leg., Reg. Sess.
                                                   (Kan. 2007)
Kentucky...........................         2005  Ky. Rev. Stat.  2.147
                                                   (LexisNexis 2005)
Louisiana..........................         2003  La. Stat. Ann. 
                                                   1:58:2 (2003)
Maine..............................         2011  Me. Stat. tit. 1, 
                                                   150-H (2011)
Maryland...........................         2014  Md. Code Ann., Gen.
                                                   Prov.  7-411
                                                   (LexisNexis 2014)
Massachusetts......................         2007  Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 6,
                                                    15BBBBB (2007)
Michigan...........................         2005  Mich. Comp. Laws 
                                                   435.361 (2005)
Minnesota..........................         1996  Minn. Stat.  10.55
                                                   (1996)
Mississippi........................         2010  S. Con. Res. 605, 2010
                                                   Leg., Reg. Sess.
                                                   (Miss. 2010)
Missouri...........................         2003  Mo. Rev. Stat.  9.161
                                                   (2003)
Montana............................         2017  Mont. Code Ann.  1-1-
                                                   231 (2017)
Nebraska...........................         2009  Leg.Res. 75, 101st
                                                   Leg., Reg. Sess.
                                                   (Neb. 2009)
Nevada.............................         2011  Nev. Rev. Stat. 
                                                   236.033 (2011)
New Hampshire......................         2019  N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 
                                                   14:13-z (LexisNexis
                                                   2019)
New Jersey.........................         2004  N.J. Rev. Stat.  36:2-
                                                   80 (2004)
New Mexico.........................         2006  N.M. Stat. Ann.  12-5-
                                                   14 (2006)
New York...........................         2004  N.Y. Exec. Law  168-
                                                   a(3) (LexisNexis
                                                   2004)
North Carolina.....................         2007  2007 N.C. Sess. Laws
                                                   450
Ohio...............................         2006  Ohio Rev. Code Ann. 
                                                   5.2234 (LexisNexis
                                                   2006)
Oklahoma...........................         1994  Okla. Stat. tit. 25, 
                                                   82.4 (1994)
Oregon.............................         2001  S.J. Res. 31, 71st
                                                   Leg. Assemb. (Or.
                                                   2001)
Pennsylvania.......................         2001  H. Res. 236, 185st
                                                   Gen. Assemb. Reg.
                                                   Sess. (Pa. 2011)
Rhode Island.......................         2012  S.B. 2262, 2011-2012
                                                   Leg. Sess. (R.I.
                                                   2011) a
South Carolina.....................         2008  S.C. Code Ann.  53-3-
                                                   85 (2008)
Tennessee..........................         2007  Tenn. Code Ann.  15-2-
                                                   113 (2007)
Texas..............................         1980  Tex. Gov't Code Ann. 
                                                   662.003 (LexisNexis
                                                   1999) b
Utah...............................         2016  Utah Code Ann.  63G-1-
                                                   401(1)(g) (LexisNexis
                                                   2016)
Vermont............................         2007  Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1,
                                                    375 (2007)
Virginia...........................         2007  H. Res. 56, 2007 Sess.
                                                   (Va. 2007)
Washington.........................         2007  Wash. Rev. Code 
                                                   1.16.050(7)(1) (2007)
West Virginia......................         2008  H. Res. 19, 78th Leg.,
                                                   2d Sess. (W. Va.
                                                   2008)
Wisconsin..........................         2009  Wis. Stat.  995.20
                                                   (2009)
Wyoming............................         2003  Wyo. Stat. Ann.  8-4-
                                                   107 (2003)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Table compiled by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Notes: This table includes the first instance of a state's recognition
  of Juneteenth or the first legislation that established Juneteenth as
  a state holiday. It excludes legislation adopted by states after the
  initial observation year. For example, Kansas adopted multiple
  resolutions, such as S. Res. 1866 (2007), S. Res. 1888 (2009), S. Res.
  1865 (2011 ), and S. Res. 1754 (2015), subsequent to the original
  commemoration.
Bolded legislation citations denote that the legislation established
  Juneteenth as a state holiday. This includes days of observance and
  does not necessarily mean that they are legal holidays. Non-bolded
  legislation citations are commemorations or recognitions of the day's
  significance.
States without links do not have publicly available versions of the bill
  or resolution online. Copies can be found on Lexis Advanced or
  requested from CRS.
a. S. B. 169, 2013-2014 Leg. Sess. (R.I. 2013) establishing the
  recognition of Juneteenth annually.
b. H.B. 1016, 66th Reg. Sess. (Tex. 1980).
c. H.J. Res. 5074A, 2006 Spec. Sess. (Va. 2006) commending celebrations.

       In recent years, the Senate has passed annual resolutions 
     recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth Independence Day
       S. Res. 253 (116th Cong.)
       S. Res. 547 (115th Cong.)
       S. Res. 214 (115th Cong.)
       S. Res. 500 (114th Cong.)
       Similar resolutions have been introduced in the House of 
     Representatives
       H. Res. 450 (116th Cong.)
       H. Res. 948 (115th Cong.)
       H. Res. 386 (115th Cong.)
       H. Res. 787 (114th Cong.)

             Sample Congressional Speeches and Recognitions

       Members of Congress often make floor statements, issue 
     press releases, or enter Extensions of Remarks into the 
     Congressional Record to recognize federal holidays and 
     observances. The following are some recent examples that may 
     be of assistance in preparing such statements:
       Representative Antonio Delgado, ``Recognizing Juneteenth,'' 
     Extensions of Remarks, Congressional Record, daily edition, 
     vol. 165 (June 19, 2019), p. E769.
       Senators Bill Nelson and Cory Booker, ``Juneteenth 
     Independence Day,'' remarks in the Senate, Congressional 
     Record, daily edition, vol. 164 (June 19, 2018), pp. S4032-
     S4033.

[[Page H2736]]

       Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, ``Commemorating 
     Juneteenth,'' remarks in the House of Representatives, 
     Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 162 (June 19, 
     2018), pp. H5274-H5275.
       Representative Brian Babin, ``Celebrating Juneteenth 
     2017,'' Extensions of Remarks, Congressional Record, daily 
     edition vol. 163 (June 15, 2017), p. E828.
       Senator Harry Reid, ``Celebrating Juneteenth,'' remarks in 
     the Senate, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 162 
     (June 16, 2016), p. S4258.
       Representative Jeb Hensarling, ``Hensarling Commemorates 
     Juneteenth,'' press release, June 19, 2015.
       Representative Julia Brownley, ``Recognizing Ventura 
     County's 24th Annual Juneteenth Celebration,'' Extensions of 
     Remarks, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 160 (June 
     19, 2014), p. E1023.

                 Presidential Proclamations and Remarks

       One of the many uses of a presidential proclamation is to 
     ceremoniously honor a group or call attention to certain 
     issues or events. Some proclamations and remarks 
     commemorating Juneteenth from the Compilation of Presidential 
     Documents include the following:
       Statement of the Observance of Juneteenth--President Donald 
     Trump, June 19, 2019
       Statement on the Observance of Juneteenth--President Barack 
     Obama, June 19, 2016
       Message on the Observance of Juneteenth--President George 
     W. Bush, June 19, 2008
       Remarks at a Southwest Voter Registration Education Project 
     Reception in Houston, Texas--President William J. Clinton, 
     June 19, 2000
       Other presidential proclamations are available through 
     https://www.govinfo.gov/, a portal for free public access to 
     official publications from all three branches of the 
     government, maintained by the Government Publishing Office 
     (GPO).

                   Historical and Cultural Resources

       Numerous resources provide information on the history and 
     culture of the holiday. Some of these include the following:
       Smithsonian, ``Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day.'' 
     This blog post includes pictures of Major General George 
     Granger and the house from which he read General Order Number 
     3.

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, for over 150 years, June 19th, 
commonly known as ``Juneteenth Independence Day,'' has been celebrated 
as a source of inspiration and encouragement for generations of African 
Americans in Texas and across the nation. News of the end of slavery 
did not reach the frontiers of the United States until months after the 
conclusion of the Civil War, and more than two and a half years after 
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on 
January 1, 1863. It was not until June 19, 1865 that Union soldiers, 
led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas with 
news of freedom for the enslaved.
  The Roman philosopher Cicero once quoted, ``history is the witness 
that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes 
memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of 
antiquity.'' In honor of the spirit, of the trials and tribulations of 
our ancestors, and the legacy they have left, we must never forget our 
history. And we can do that by joining together to observe Juneteenth 
and celebrate the progress we have made thereafter, while also 
recognizing and reaffirming our commitment to the work that remains. We 
can do this by remembering who we are, where we came from, and 
rejoicing now in the freedom and liberties that we share--and by never 
taking them for granted.

                          ____________________