[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 106 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                               JUNETEENTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President. I rise today to recognize the annual 
commemoration of Juneteenth, the date on which the news of the end of 
slavery reached the enslaved peoples in the Southwestern States. On 
June 19, 1865, MG Gordon Granger and Union soldiers communicated the 
news of liberation to one of the last remaining confederate outposts in 
Galveston, TX. Over 2 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the 
Emancipation Proclamation, the enslaved individuals there had yet to 
hear the good news.
  Over the years, African-American communities nationwide and in 
Maryland have developed rich traditions around this historically 
significant date. For all Americans, Juneteenth offers an opportunity 
to reflect upon and to educate ourselves further about the terrible 
history of slavery and its enduring legacy. The story of Juneteenth 
also reminds me of the gap between the values and principles that we 
espouse and the realities of life for everyday Americans, in particular 
the most vulnerable.
  I have long supported legislation to add Juneteenth National 
Independence Day to the list of legal Federal public holidays. After 
many years, I am pleased that the Senate has finally passed it and hope 
that the House will act swiftly to send this bill to President Biden's 
desk.
  In commemoration of this year's holiday, I want to take the 
opportunity to reflect in more depth on a couple of ways that we 
continue to see the clear impact of slavery today. One of the most 
apparent legacies is access--or should I say lack of access--to the 
ballot box. Study after study and the lived experiences of so many 
individuals tell us that Black Americans still experience greater 
barriers to voting than White Americans. One of the most important 
tenets of our comprehensive legislation to protect democracy, the For 
the People Act, S. 1, is enacting a Federal floor when it comes to 
voting rights standards.
  Spreading false or misleading information intended to suppress voting 
and intimidate the electorate remains one of the most effective methods 
used to keep individuals, particularly Black Americans and other racial 
minorities, from voting. Advancements in our means of communication, 
including the rise of social media platforms, have made it easier for 
bad actors to use these strategies. During the 2020 election cycle, 
robocalls targeting communities of color in Michigan, Pennsylvania, 
Ohio, Illinois, and New York contained false information about how the 
recipients' data would be shared if they voted by mail. I have 
introduced legislation, along with Senator Klobuchar, to address these 
problems by prohibiting individuals from knowingly deceiving others 
about the time, place, eligibility, or procedures of participating in a 
Federal election. Our bill to ban deceptive practices, S. 1840, would 
also prohibit individuals from intentionally hindering, interfering 
with, or preventing another person from voting, registering to vote, or 
aiding another person to vote or register to vote in a Federal 
election.
  In 2020, more than 5 million individuals and as many as one in five 
African Americans in some States were disenfranchised because of voter 
suppression laws.
  Many voter disenfranchisement laws today come from post-Civil War 
efforts to stifle the 14th and 15th Amendments. Between 1865 and 1880, 
at least 13 States enacted or expanded their felony disenfranchisement 
laws. One of the primary goals of these laws was to prevent Black 
Americans from voting. At least 11 of those States still bar 
individuals on felony probation or parole from voting. Under our 
Constitution, there is no legitimate justification for denying people 
from having a voice in our democracy. Disenfranchising citizens who are 
living and working in the community serves no compelling State interest 
and hinders their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. My 
Democracy Restoration Act, S. 481, would restore Federal voting rights 
for all individuals immediately upon release from incarceration.
  I am proud that both my Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation 
Act and my Democracy Restoration Act are included within the For the 
People Act.
  Finally, I want to end by commending my home State of Maryland for 
bipartisan restorative justice work over the past several years. The 
Maryland General Assembly voted nearly unanimously in 2019 to 
investigate the more than 40 documented racial terror lynchings that 
took place in Maryland between 1854 and 1933, to hold public hearings 
in communities where racial terror lynchings occurred, and to develop 
recommendations that are rooted in restorative justice for addressing, 
engaging, and reconciling those communities. The commission the State 
established has received supplemental funding from the U.S. Department 
of Justice's Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations Program for its 
efforts. Because of this work, Governor Hogan issued posthumous pardons 
last month for 34 victims of racial lynchings in Maryland.
  This Juneteenth, I encourage all Americans to recognize Juneteenth as 
an opportunity to reflect upon our Nation's shared history, to 
recognize the enduring effects of slavery on our society, and to commit 
to being involved in the redemptive work toward a more just and perfect 
Union.

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