Thu, June 18, 2015

This week, as we prepare to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth, the United States Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution recognizing June 19, 2015 as “Juneteenth Independence Day.” I was proud to join Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and other colleagues in introducing this resolution. To read the resolution, please click here.

Each year on June 19, we celebrate Juneteenth to commemorate the triumph of freedom over slavery and rededicate ourselves to finally ensuring liberty and justice for all.

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and a group of Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas. General Granger then read the famous Order Number 3 proclaiming that the Civil War had ended and that all of America’s remaining slaves were now free.

President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had been in effect for two and a half years, but most slaves in the South did not hear that they were free until after the Civil War ended. For African-Americans in Texas and across the South, Juneteenth became the day most closely associated with true emancipation.

Though initially celebrated only locally in Galveston, Juneteenth is now observed nationwide by Americans from all backgrounds. And while this day holds a special meaning for descendants of slaves, Juneteenth provides an important opportunity for us all to commemorate a central tenet of our great nation: that we are all created equal.

Slavery is a reprehensible chapter in our nation’s history, and while we have come a long way in the last 150 years, we’ve seen in recent months too many painful reminders that our journey to form a more perfect union is far from done.

As we celebrate Juneteenth 2015, let us all pause and reflect on the tragedy of slavery and the glory of Emancipation, and let us all rededicate ourselves to continue working together to form that more perfect union.

For a list of California Juneteenth celebrations, please click here.