[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4124-S4125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Juneteenth National Independence Day

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, one of the most defining days for our 
country throughout our Nation's history was when President Lincoln 
issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, freeing all 
slaves. It marked the end of one of the most shameful chapters in our 
country's history. But slaves in Texas wouldn't learn this life-
altering news for nearly 2\1/2\ years.
  It wasn't until June 19, 1865--the day we now know as Juneteenth--
that Major General Gordon Granger and the Union troops arrived at 
Galveston, TX, and shared the news that all formerly enslaved people 
were now free. These newly freed men and women set out from Galveston 
and spread the news, and they began their lives anew. Many traveled 
toward nearby Houston, and the news eventually reached the more than 
250,000 slaves throughout the State of Texas.
  In 1979, Texas was the first of what would become many States to 
proclaim the day Juneteenth as an official State holiday--1979. Every 
year on June 19, you will find parades, concerts, church picnics, 
family barbecues, and countless other Juneteenth events throughout the 
State.
  I have joined a number of those Juneteenth celebrations over the 
years, but the one in 2021 in Galveston, the birth place of Juneteenth, 
will always stand out as one of my favorites.
  Just 2 days before that celebration, a bill I authored with 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was signed into law, officially 
establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday--not just a State 
holiday, a national holiday. This marked the culmination of many years 
of hard work by Juneteenth advocates in Texas, and it was an honor to 
celebrate with many of those advocates in Galveston exactly 156 years 
after Major General Gordon Granger and his troops arrived there.
  I would be remiss if I didn't recognize the most tenacious advocate 
for the Juneteenth holiday, my friend Ms. Opal Lee, who is widely known 
as the grandmother of Juneteenth. Ms. Opal was driven from her Fort 
Worth home by a racist mob at the tender age of 12 years. Rather than 
turn that tragedy into hate, she made it her life's work to recognize 
the 2\1/2\ years it took the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to 
reach Texas by walking 2\1/2\ miles in different areas of the country 
to build awareness.
  Even though Juneteenth is now a national holiday, Ms. Opal, at the 
tender age of 97, still walks 2\1/2\ miles in the Texas heat--she will 
do that tomorrow--to underscore the importance of continuing to strive 
for a more perfect Union. Juneteenth National Independence Day would 
not have been possible without her perseverance and humility, and I 
hope she understands and appreciates the importance of her work.
  By making Juneteenth a national holiday, we have ensured that the 
history and significance of this day will not be relegated to footnotes 
in history books. Instead, it will preserve the history of Juneteenth 
for generations to come and serve as a reminder of the hard-fought 
struggle for freedom and reconciliation.

  This holiday gives us the opportunity to confront the flaws of our 
past, to honor the progress that we have made, and to resolve to 
continue to work together for a brighter future.
  I appreciate the hard work and dedication of those who made 
Juneteenth National Independence Day possible, and I wish everyone a 
happy Juneteenth.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.

[[Page S4125]]