From the Congressional Record
RECOGNIZING JUNETEENTH
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The Hon Antonio Delgado of New York Rises (another voice that will help redeem America's future ) in the house of representatives Thursday, June 13, 2019
Mr. DELGADO. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. At its core, Juneteenth is a bittersweet celebration of deferred liberation. While the Civil War ended at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, it took more than two months for word of General Robert E. Lee's surrender to reach Texas. When General Gordon Granger, stationed in Galveston, heard the news on June 19th, he issued a proclamation that announced the freedom of 250,000 slaves in the state. By that time, more than two and a half years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863. Speaking at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln had prophesized that the Civil War would bring a new birth of freedom to America. However, for the quarter of a million slaves in Texas that freedom would come much later. And for millions of black Americans, the end of slavery meant new forms of oppressive labor practices, racial violence, police brutality, and the Jim Crow era. While there have been tremendous strides for racial equality in the last 70 years including Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act, affirmative action, and the election of our first black president, we know that we have a long way to go. We must continue to uphold our enduring commitment to equality and strive for a more just society for people of all creeds and colors. On Juneteenth, we remember the untold millions who suffered the horrors of slavery and celebrate the liberation of a people. We do so while keeping our eyes toward tomorrow, knowing that our best days as a nation are still ahead of us. ____________________
