[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 100 (Monday, June 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5475-H5476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Jackson Lee). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. 
Beatty) is recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of 
the majority leader.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, tonight we have heard from leadership in 
the Congressional Black Caucus and leadership in the Democratic Caucus 
of the United States Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for threading 
the needle, for reminding us of the history of how we started; 1863. 
And then 2 years later in 1865 when it was announced that Juneteenth 
would exist because Black people were free. Juneteenth, independence 
day, freedom day, all of it makes a difference for us because we know 
freedom is never given, it is won.
  Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure now--another colleague from 
the great State of Ohio. Someone who knows the value and importance of 
fighting because she is a fighter. She is a sojourner who understands 
that her voice speaks for thousands of individuals, especially Black 
individuals.
  It is a great honor to have a colleague that hails from the same 
State that I hail from, the great State of Ohio. She walks in the 
footsteps of Congresswoman Marsha Fudge, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs 
Jones, and a Congressman--one of the founders of the Congressional 
Black Caucus--Congressman Lou Stokes.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown), from 
the 11th District.
  Ms. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, thank you for the kind 
introduction. I thank Chairwomen Beatty and all my Congressional Black 
Caucus colleagues for highlighting the significance of Juneteenth 
during today's Special Order hour.
  Madam Speaker, the date was Monday, June 19, 1865; the location, 
Galveston, Texas. It was 2\1/2\ years after President Lincoln issued 
the Emancipation Proclamation and 2 months after the Civil War ended, 
250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas still did not know they were 
free.
  That was until--on that Texas summer day--Federal troops rode into 
town and a Union general read aloud an order announcing their freedom.
  Emancipation didn't happen all at once, and slavery wasn't formally 
abolished until the passage of the 13th Amendment later that year. That 
19th day in June came to be known as Juneteenth, a day celebrating the 
end of slavery in America.
  The year following the 1865 declaration, freedman in Texas organized 
the first of what became the annual June 19 celebration. Slowly but 
surely, Juneteenth celebrations spread across the country.
  Last year, thanks to the hard work of my friend, my colleague, the 
dynamic incomparable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, President Biden 
signed a bill into law recognizing Juneteenth as a Federal holiday.
  Juneteenth is a time to celebrate, and it is a time to take pride in 
the many contributions of African Americans to our society and our 
country across the generations.
  It is also a time of remembrance and action. On Juneteenth, we 
acknowledge a dark period in our history and its lasting legacy of 
inequality and injustice--a legacy that continues to influence our 
country today. We have made

[[Page H5476]]

much progress as a Nation, yet we still have a long way to go. Progress 
is not possible without a full accounting of both our brightest days 
and our darkest nights.
  As we honor those enslaved Texans who finally learned of their 
freedom 157 years ago, let us recommit to fulfilling the promise of 
Juneteenth--and indeed of our Nation at large--by fighting for 
equality, liberty, and justice for all.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, we stand here listening. We stand here 
revisiting our history. We stand here thinking about our ancestors.

                              {time}  2030

  As members of the Congressional Black Caucus 50-plus-1-years-old, we 
understand that the fight must continue.
  We understand when we walk in these hallowed Halls of justice that we 
carry that torch--that torch, freedom, that torch, justice and liberty 
for all. It is that responsibility that we acknowledge.
  It is that responsibility when I think about the 173 Black people in 
the history of this Congress who have served out of some 12,000 people 
who have served in these Halls--173 Black people.
  When I think about being the ninth Black woman to serve as chair of 
the Congressional Black Caucus, I think of the other women: the 
sojourners and the truth tellers who served as chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus.
  I think of people like Congresswoman Karen Bass, whom I followed.
  I think about Congresswoman, and now Secretary of HUD, Marcia Fudge.
  I think about Congresswoman Maxine Waters--who is one of six Black 
Members of Congress--serving as chair of the Financial Services 
Committee.
  I think about Congresswoman Barbara Lee from California who is always 
out in the forefront and reminding us of the words of Shirley Chisholm.
  I think about Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, another colleague 
from the great State of Texas. She is a woman who reminds us about 
equality and justice and reminds us about the value of collaboration 
and standing together in unity. She is the founder of the Tri-Caucus. 
She is another fighter for justice, someone who mentors us and stands 
back and gives us enough room so we can lead and follow in her 
footsteps.
  There are so many strong, Black women in the Congressional Black 
Caucus.
  Then there are the men. There are 29 Members who are female and 29 
Members who are male serving now in the Congressional Black Caucus.
  So tonight, Madam Speaker, I say, thank you. The two most powerful 
words that one can say. I say thank you to our chair of our Special 
Order hour, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
  As we begin to bring this night to a close, I am reminded of so many 
things that great leaders have said. Someone said that liberty, when it 
begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.
  We have begun to take root as members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus. And we, too, have that same rapid growth of all the things in 
this Chamber we have brought to the floor, in this Chamber that we have 
voted out and sent to the Senate and to the White House to be signed 
into law. So often people will come up to us on the great streets of 
America, and they will say: Tell me, what is it that the Congressional 
Black Caucus is doing?
  But, Madam Speaker, I say no more. No more will you question who we 
are. Because our power and our message of Black excellence, of lifting 
up and elevating our message and power has reigned through the United 
States of America because you see, Madam Speaker, when you talk about 
an executive order or police reform, it was the Congressional Black 
Caucus that was there when the President signed it.
  When you talk about our dealing with student debt, it is the 
Congressional Black Caucus that just finished a 2-day issues 
conference. We brought before our Congressional Black Caucus issues 
forum 10 of the top civil rights leaders in America. They didn't bring 
or send a designee. They came themselves before us.
  So I want to say, Madam Speaker, that tonight was about Juneteenth. 
But tonight was also about letting Americans know that we are fighting 
for them, that we stand with them, and that we understand that we must 
continue to fight against systemic racism, and we must continue to 
fight for our children and our families.
  That is what we do because we are the Congressional Black Caucus. Our 
power and our message is Black excellence unapologetically strong.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, for over 150 years, June 19th, 
also known as Juneteenth Independence Day, has served as a source of 
reflection, inspiration, and hope for generations of Black Americans. 
It is a day when we are reminded of the trials and tribulations of 
those who came before us, and celebrate the incredible progress we have 
made. It is a day when we can rejoice together in the freedom and 
liberties that we all share, and recommit ourselves to everlasting 
equality and justice. It is a day that means so much, but for too long 
had not been formally recognized as a federal holiday.
  That was, Madam Speaker, until our advocacy was finally met with 
action from the rest of Congress and the White House. I was proud to 
join my colleagues here in Congress and the Biden Administration last 
year to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Now, just one year later, 
many more Americans understand and appreciate the day's history.
  Today, I am especially thankful for Texas's very own, Ms. Opal Lee. 
Colloquially known as the ``Grandmother of Juneteenth,'' Ms. Lee has 
worked tirelessly over the years to educate, inform, and advocate on 
behalf of the Juneteenth movement. I have had the pleasure of meeting 
her several times over the years and am constantly reminded that we 
stand on the shoulders of icons like her.
  Madam Speaker, I want to wish those in Texas's 30th Congressional 
District and across the country a Happy Juneteenth.

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