[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 106 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOMMITTING ON JUNETEENTH

  (Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York asked and was given permission 
to address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on June 19, 1865, 
freedom finally came for the last enslaved African Americans in the 
United States when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, more 
than 2 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation 
Proclamation.
  Today, 156 years later, President Biden will be signing a law to make 
Juneteenth a new Federal holiday. It is a cause for celebration. It 
should also serve as an occasion for learning and for this country to 
reflect on our history and recommit to doing the vital work to ensure 
that the lasting effects of slavery, bigotry, and racism are replaced 
with hope, dignity, and equality for all.
  We can start with the Senate passing the George Floyd Justice in 
Policing Act, legislation to reform policing and address systemic 
racism and bias within law enforcement, and finally making the John 
Lewis Voting Rights Act a law, passing it.
  Today, we celebrate this historic designation of Juneteenth as a 
Federal holiday. Tomorrow, we get back to work.

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