[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12848]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mr. OBAMA. Madam. President, I was pleased to join the Senator from 
Michigan, Senator Levin, in submitting a resolution on the Juneteenth 
Independence Day.
  I have heard people ask, ``Why celebrate Juneteenth?'' We have so 
many holidays and remembrances already--why add more history to the 
calendar?
  But of course, Juneteenth is not just about celebrating history. It 
is about learning from it. Just like the day when the greatest civil 
rights leader of our time was born or the day when we finally gave 
African Americans a ballot and a voice, Juneteenth is a day when we can 
look back on a time when everyday Americans faced the most daunting 
challenges and the slimmest odds and still persevered. When they said 
``we shall overcome,'' and they did. When the hopes held by so many for 
so long finally led to the victory of freedom over servitude; of 
independence over enslavement.
  Juneteenth is a day that allows us to remember that America is still 
the place where anything is possible. It has been that place in the 
past, and it can be that place in the future when it comes to the 
challenges we have yet to meet.
  And so when we think of those challenges--when we think of the 
injustice we still face and the miles we have left to march--when we 
think of the millions without health care, the children without good 
schools, the families without jobs, and the disparities that still 
exist between black and white, rich and poor, educated and uneducated--
when we think about all these challenges, we can also think 
``Juneteenth.''
  We can think of a day when the word began to spread from town to 
plantation to city to farm that after more than a hundred years of 
slavery, millions were now free. That after so many hopeless days and 
years of despair, the impossible was now truth; the shackles were now 
broken and a new day was finally here.
  In the memory of this day, I believe we can find hope for all the 
trying days we have yet to face as a people and as a nation. And as we 
continue to overcome, we will continue to celebrate those victories as 
historical markers that give future generations the same hope we have 
today.
  I commend Senator Levin for his longtime leadership on civil rights 
issues and urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the upcoming Juneteenth 
celebration that will occur this Sunday, June 19, 2005. This 
celebration commemorates the end of slavery throughout the United 
States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 
1863, the information had not been passed to the most rural parts of 
the South until some two and a half years later when General Gordon 
Granger entered Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865, and issued the 
proclamation, officially freeing the town.
  There are a number of theories to explain why it took so long for the 
message of freedom to reach many slaves throughout the South. While 
there is yet to be a definitive explanation for the delay, as we 
continue to recognize the importance of this date, we can be assured 
that scholars will continue to research this part of our Nation's 
history.
  Annual Juneteenth celebrations have long been a part of our Nation's 
history. Although they were held in the years immediately following 
1865, they were not popular in the Jim Crow-era South. In fact, they 
were banned from public property, and, in order to continue the 
celebrations, churches throughout the South held fundraisers to sponsor 
Juneteenth events. This was common until the Great Depression, when 
people could no longer afford the necessities of everyday life, let 
alone celebrations of our past. At the same time, in many public 
schools, teachers often focused discussion on the day of the 
Emancipation Proclamation, even though it had no immediate impact for 
slaves in many parts of the South. Thus, there was limited recognition 
of the importance of Juneteenth until the Texas legislature recognized 
it as an official holiday on January 1, 1980.
  This weekend we recognize this important celebration. In so doing, we 
take time to reflect on the evil of slavery. This is a time to learn 
from the past and to redouble our efforts to ensure that the values of 
freedom and liberty in this country are afforded to all its citizens. 
Juneteenth is a day for reflection, for prayer and for hope that our 
country will continue to grow together in the spirit of liberty, 
equality and justice.
  I am proud to honor the 140th commemoration of the African American 
emancipation day, Juneteenth, June 19, 1865.

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