[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11123]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               JUNETEENTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 2010

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to 
acknowledge Juneteenth. I am pleased to be with you this afternoon. I 
would like to thank you for your commitment to seeking solutions to one 
of the most pressing challenges facing our community: ensuring that 
everyone receive all the rights guaranteed under our civil rights laws. 
I believe that one of the most important violations of civil rights are 
hate crimes and racial profiling. I also believe that equal access to 
health, education, housing and health care, are all civil rights. But I 
will focus on hate crimes and access to adequate health care.


                         History of Juneteenth

  For those of you who ask, ``What is Juneteenth,'' I will tell you. 
Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers, led by 
the courageous Major General Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston, Texas 
with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now 
free. The Emancipation Proclamation became official on January 1, 1863. 
Nevertheless, people held in bondage in Texas had to wait two and a 
half years after President Lincoln's proclamation, to hear the news of 
freedom.
  It gives me great pleasure to speak about Juneteenth and I would like 
to share with you the letter that Major General Gordon Granger read to 
the emotion filled slaves. It reads as follows: ``The People of Texas 
are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive 
of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute 
equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and 
slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes 
that between employer and free laborer.''
  Prior to June 19, 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation had little 
impact on Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops available to 
enforce the new Executive order. Thanks to the meritorious Major 
Granger and the arrival of his troops, there were forces strong enough 
to overcome the resistance and to free the slaves.
  Many stories have been told about the actual reason for why it took 
so long for the news of the Emancipation to reach Galveston, but it is 
very difficult to say which one is true. The fact still remains that 
the news did not come to the enslaved Texans soon enough. The reactions 
to the profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation.
  Upon hearing the news, many of the newly freed slaves went north and 
others went to neighboring states, such as Louisiana, Arkansas, and 
Oklahoma. For those freed men and women, recounting the memories and 
festivities of that great day in June of 1865 served as motivation as 
well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new 
territory.
  The celebration of June 19th was coined ``Juneteenth'' and it grew 
with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration 
was a time for reassuring one another, for praying and for gathering 
with family members. This still holds true today because African 
Americans continue to face many challenges that call for prayer and 
gathering together with one's family and community.
  When the celebration of Juneteenth originated, a range of activities 
were offered to entertain the masses, many of which continue in 
tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing and baseball are just a 
few of the typical Juneteenth activities that one may witness or 
participate in today. This is an historic and important commemoration 
for Texas but also for the Nation. This Holiday equals freedom. I 
applaud all of the events sponsored by Houstonians that seeks to 
inspire and educate our children and to respect the former slaves of 
Texas who suffered so much.

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