[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IN CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH IN MACON, GEORGIA

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 14, 2013

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute a 
longstanding tradition in Macon, Georgia, the 21st Annual Juneteenth 
Freedom Festival. Georgia Juneteenth Week spans from June 8, 2013 to 
June 15, 2013, culminating in the Juneteenth Freedom Festival on 
Saturday, June 15, 2013 from noon to sundown at Historic Tattnall 
Square Park in Macon, Georgia.
  On June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, two years after President 
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Troops 
seized control of the area and declared all slaves free. Since then, 
Juneteenth has been nationally and internationally observed as 
Emancipation Day and the end of slavery in the United States for those 
who did not receive the news that the Emancipation Proclamation was 
signed by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863 until June 1865.
  Whether it is a day, week, or month-long celebration, Juneteenth 
brings people of all walks of life together for remembrance of a dark 
period in our Nation's history, to rejoice at how far we have come as a 
society, and to reflect upon how far we have yet to go.
  For the past 21 years, Torchlight Academy, Inc. and Kwanzaa Cultural 
Access Center have partnered to organize the Juneteenth celebrations in 
Macon, Georgia. The Juneteenth Freedom Festival has been one of the 
most innovative, vibrant and enjoyable displays of Afro-centric art, 
talent and culture in Middle Georgia. With agricultural education 
exhibits; live jazz, soul and hip hop music; modern and African dance; 
delicious food; live history exhibits; children's games; and 
storytelling, this partnership has fostered the spirit of community 
that is so deeply anchored in our ancestral roots.
  Macon's oldest continuous African-American community-based festival, 
the Juneteenth celebrations and annual Freedom Festival unite Middle 
Georgians to honor the struggle, sacrifice and success of our 
ancestors.
  This year's local Juneteenth festivities included a ``Salute to 
Freedom'' 5k Run/Walk for Health and Peace, the Pleasant Hill 
Neighborhood Reunion, Heritage Discovery Walk, Macon Black Heritage 
Tours, and the Real Talk Hip Hop Summit of Youth Awareness and 
Responsibility.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in saluting Mr. George 
A. Fadil Muhammad, Torchlight Academy, Inc., Kwanzaa Cultural Access 
Center, the residents of Macon, Georgia and the surrounding communities 
as they come together to celebrate Juneteenth. This spirited 
celebration is an annual reminder of the valiant souls of our Nation's 
history to whom we owe so much. Let us also use this occasion to 
reflect upon ourselves and how we can each lead a life that honors the 
sacrifice of our ancestors.

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