[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4101-H4102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH FESTIVITIES IN PIMA COUNTY

  (Mrs. GRIJALVA asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Juneteenth 
festivities happening in southern Arizona and throughout the country.
  The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln on 
January 1, 1863. However, it took until June 19, 1865, 2\1/2\ years 
later, for all enslaved people to be informed of this order.
  As a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, I was proud to 
champion the board's first-ever funding of the Tucson Juneteenth 
Committee and support making Juneteenth a paid, administrative holiday 
for Pima County employees.

[[Page H4102]]

  As we mark the 161st anniversary of Juneteenth, we also recognize and 
celebrate the Tucson Juneteenth Committee, which has been bringing our 
community together in commemoration and celebration since 1970 thanks 
to the leadership of Larry Starks.
  I am honored to join our community and the Tucson Juneteenth 
Committee in celebrating this important occasion. Their decades of 
dedication have helped preserve the history, culture, and significance 
of Juneteenth for generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite all of southern Arizona, for the last of a 
month full of events, to join us Saturday, June 20, at the Kino Sports 
Complex for an evening of freedom, culture, education, and community as 
we honor this important milestone for our Nation's history and recommit 
ourselves to the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice for all.
  Happy Juneteenth.

                          ____________________