[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               JUNETEENTH

  Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, I rise today to recognize the 156th 
anniversary of Juneteenth. On Saturday, we mark 156 years since June 
19, 1865, when MG Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, TX, that the 
Civil War was over and that enslaved people were now free.
  In his announcement, General Granger said:

       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.

  In commemoration of this momentous day, June 19 became known as 
Juneteenth. In the years following the Civil War and in the early 20th 
century, Juneteenth has been celebrated as a holiday of independence.
  While Juneteenth has been celebrated in States across the country, it 
carries a special significance in Texas, where Juneteenth celebrations 
began. In 1872, four men in Houston, my hometown, purchased the land 
for Emancipation Park, the oldest park in Texas, as the site for 
Juneteenth celebrations. In 1980, the State of Texas became the first 
State to make Juneteenth a State holiday. Today, 47 States recognize 
Juneteenth.
  I am proud to cosponsor the Senate resolution designating June 19, 
2021, as Juneteenth Independence Day to honor the historical 
significance this day has in the United States.
  Juneteenth is an important day. It is a somber reminder of the 
original sin of slavery that our Nation inherited from colonial powers. 
Still, it is also a celebration of the fact that our country strives 
each and every day to make good on its promise to protect the 
inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for 
all men and all women, who are created equal. Our country was founded 
on that revolutionary idea, that revolutionary belief that all men are 
created equal, and that means no matter where we come from or what we 
started with, any one of us can live freely and achieve great things.
  The story of America and the story of Juneteenth is a story of 
freedom, and while we have had many troubled chapters along the way, I, 
for one, agree with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that the arc of 
history is long and that it bends towards justice, and we have made 
significant progress on that arc.
  On Saturday, as we commemorate the long-overdue announcement of 
emancipation made in Texas 156 years ago, let us together remember the 
God-given freedoms we all cherish as Americans.

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