Providing for Consideration of S. Juneteenth National Independence Day Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 479 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 479
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (S. 475) to amend title 5, United States Code, to designate Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to commit.
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Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time is yielded for the purpose of debate only. General Leave
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Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, today, the Committee on Rules met and reported a rule, House Resolution 479, providing for consideration of S. 475, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, under a closed rule.
The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and one motion to recommit.
Mr. Speaker, we are here today to consider an important and timely bill, S. 475, which parallels H.R. 1320 introduced by our colleague, Sheila Jackson Lee from Texas. This bill would make Juneteenth a Federal holiday.
We are happy and not a little surprised to see that the Senate was able to quickly pass this bill with unanimous consent. It is not every day that one sees the Senate move more quickly than the House, and it is my hope that today the House of Representatives would be able to act with similar swiftness.
Juneteenth, a portmanteau of June 19th, celebrates a seminal moment in Black American history, and it is well past time that our country recognizes the importance of this day by making it a Federal holiday.
While the Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery in the South, and the Civil War effectively ended with the surrender of the Confederacy in April of 1865 at Appomattox, slavery did not immediately end throughout the United States.
During the Civil War, many slaveholders migrated to Texas to avoid conflict and continued to hold Black Americans in bondage after the formal end of the Civil War.
On June 19, 1865, Union troops finally arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to ensure that slaves were freed, a full 2\1/2\ years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln.
On that date, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which announced that, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, all slaves are free.
In the years following, Black Texans began to celebrate Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, and Juneteenth Independence Day. Over time, they developed time-honored traditions for celebration, including parades, cookouts, family reunions, prayer gatherings, historic and cultural readings, and musical performances. As Texans emigrated to other parts of the United States, those traditions came with them and became enshrined in Black communities across our country.
Today, Juneteenth is celebrated by communities throughout the United States. Forty-eight States and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth. It is time for the Federal Government to do the same.
My own district in southeastern Pennsylvania takes great pride in its Juneteenth celebrations. From parades and flag raisings and picnics to musical performances and community gatherings, our community will celebrate at dozens of events throughout the district this weekend.
On a planning call this week for one of our local celebrations, a resident from the Eastwick neighborhood in southwest Philadelphia proclaimed that ``Juneteenth is the holy grail'' of celebrations for the community because it represents America's true day of freedom.
Upon hearing the news that this bill would come up for passage today, one of my staffers said: ``As an African-American woman raising five beautiful children, it would mean so much to make Juneteenth a Federal holiday. . . . It allows people to reflect on what my ancestors had to deal with. It gives the history of how they fought and continued to fight as they passed the torch on to the next generation.''
Another community member just shared: ``I hope this provides an accessible, teachable moment so people across the country can talk with their neighbors about why we need this holiday and how it helps to address the erasure of Black contributions to humanity and history.''
I know that this move to make Juneteenth a Federal holiday will mean so much to members of the Black community in my district, and I am so excited to have the great honor of returning home to celebrate this weekend after we pass this bill.
Juneteenth, like many of our other Federal celebrations, serves as a day of remembrance and reflection and a celebration of emancipation and freedom.
So, as we consider the rule today, and as we approach this year's Juneteenth celebrations, I ask my colleagues in this Chamber to think and reflect on our Nation's complicated history, the events that led us to where we are, and what we need to do to reckon with our past and continue to work toward creating a more equitable and inclusive society.
America has historically failed to fully address the horrors of the abuse wrought upon enslaved people during the early years of our country, and to this day, we live with the long-term effects and consequences of slavery in America.
Racism, both interpersonal and institutional, continues to plague our country. And despite monumental efforts, from the Civil War to the civil rights movement and beyond, to get our Nation to live up to the ideals proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, Black Americans still face disparate treatment and disparate outcomes across our society, from housing and healthcare to education and the workplace.
To move forward with the work of dismantling institutional racism that continues to disenfranchise Black Americans, it is essential that we start by looking critically at how we get here.
If we all truly commit ourselves to striving toward a more perfect Union, where all people are not only legally equal but actually have a fair shot at achieving the American Dream, we must recognize our current failings and take the necessary steps to end racial discrimination, the racial wealth gap, and racial injustices in our social, economic, environmental, and judicial institutions.
While some may feel that making Juneteenth a Federal holiday is a purely symbolic act, symbols hold power. Holidays hold power.
While millions of Americans already celebrate Juneteenth and use the day to reflect on our collective past and future, this is an important step to formally commemorate a crucial part of our culture and history that for too long has been canceled.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on other meaningful steps we can take to honor the legacy of enslaved people who contributed so much to our history and to address the lasting impacts of this cruel chapter in our history that still persist today.
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Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I now recognize my distinguished colleague, the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security in the House Committee on the Judiciary. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee is a tremendous advocate and leader in the fight for racial equity and an inspiration to many of our colleagues, including myself. Coming from the great State of Texas, she is all too familiar with the history and importance of Juneteenth for African Americans and for all Americans to recognize and reconcile our history.
In Congress' past, Representative Jackson Lee led the charge to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday by introducing legislation to federally recognize this historic day. In the 117th Congress, she, again, introduced H.R. 1320, which I understand formed the basis for the Senate bill.
Through the tireless work of her and her Senate colleagues, we now have the privilege of voting on this historic legislation. I applaud the tremendous work of the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas.
Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. How humbled I am to be on the floor of the House with fellow Americans who can speak eloquently about the history that is so deeply seated in my history and the history of so many Americans.
How honored I am, Congresswoman Scanlon, that you come from the great State of Pennsylvania that has a storied history. For some of us, we remember Gettysburg, but there are many other aspects, which I have had the privilege of visiting.
I always say to America: Learn America. It is a beautiful place, but it is a historic place.
To my friend from Pennsylvania, the manager and Rules Committee member, how honored I am to have you, a fellow Pennsylvanian, in terms of the minority's manager, on the floor today. You know full well the fight of the Union soldiers, and I am sure that you have in your constituency or in the State descendants of those fights.
Mr. Speaker, I can stand here today to say, with Senator Markey, Senator Cornyn, Senator Smith, and my colleague of long-suffering, Danny Davis, who began this journey with me, the act or the thought of racial divide crushes to the floor on this bright and sunny day as we bring from the Senate the legislation that I offered, H.R. 1320, in the form of S. 475, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, companion legislation to H.R. 1320 in the House.
The House was the leader, although I am always glad to embrace the dynamic leadership of the Senate. We have over 160 more sponsors coming, bipartisan sponsors.
My good friend and colleague from Texas, Randy Weber, actually represents Galveston, and I want to share his name on the floor.
But I introduce this to make Juneteenth a Federal holiday to commemorate the end of chattel slavery, America's original sin, and to bring about celebration, crushing racial divide down to a point of unity to this Earth, and it is because of the perseverance, the strength of our mutual communities, African Americans that struggle for equality.
Now, I would be remiss if I did not at least appoint that slavery was real. These are the brutal backs upon which the whip went over and over and over again, not only men, women, children, possibly, as history recounts.
The history is limited because it is slave narrative, that I might very humbly and respectfully say, those stories are in broken English. But I remember one where a woman slave said to a husband that had been either taken away or had been a freed slave to another plantation; she said, Husband, come back, come back, they are about to sell me and your children to different places. That is what this moment in time in history represents for us.
But look where we are today. Look where we are. In the midst of what people have described as racial divide, we have now come to a place where we acknowledge the 47 States that have done a celebratory, unified, and multicultural celebration of Juneteenth. Let me tell you why, just for a moment.
Juneteenth is as significant to African Americans as it will be to Americans because we, too, are Americans, and it means freedom.
Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, General Granger found himself on the shores of Galveston--Senator Cornyn and myself will be in Galveston this very Juneteenth. How coincidental. Can you imagine, how short I am, I will be standing maybe taller than Senator Cornyn, forgive me for that, because it will be such an elevation of joy, but we will be there for a historic celebration.
But Juneteenth came in June of 1865, and shortly thereafter, in the next few months, the 13th Amendment declared slavery unconstitutional in the United States. I think it is important to read these words. These are the words of General Granger, coming all the way from Washington, D.C., of General Order No. 3.
You know, we like legislation, but I will tell you, can you imagine all of the slaves who were not free 2 extra years? They gathered around, they knew something was happening. There was no telegram and there was no cyber, there was no email or tweets.
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Ms. SCANLON. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, 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 therefore existing between them becomes that of employer and hired labor. It is a day of freedom.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Rules Committee, Chairman McGovern, and Ranking Member Cole. I want to thank them for their commitment in bringing this to us. I want to thank Majority Leader Hoyer, Speaker Pelosi, the whip, Mr. Clyburn, the chairman, Mr. Jeffries, and all of the leadership on both sides of the aisle that have brought us to this point.
Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, and the principal sponsor in the House of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, I rise in strong and enthusiastic support of the Rule and the underlying legislation, S. 475, the Senate companion to the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which establishes June 19 as a federal holiday.
I applaud the U.S. Senate for passing S. 475, Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, companion legislation to H.R. 1320, which I introduced to make Juneteenth a federal holiday to commemorate the end of chattel slavery, America's Original Sin, and to celebrate the perseverance that has been the hallmark of the African American struggle for equality.
I thank Senator Markey of Massachusetts, my senior senator, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, and others who spearheaded this effort in the Senate, and Senate Majority Leader Schumer for his support and for using his legislative skills to ensure the bill was voted on and passed.
Mr. Speaker, now it is time for the House of Representatives to act swiftly and bring to the floor, vote on, pass the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, and send it to the desk of President Biden for signature.
With the President's signature, the federal government will join 47 states in recognizing as a holiday Juneteenth, the day that has been celebrated by African Americans for 156 years and has been called rightly as 'America's second Independence Day.'
Let me extend on behalf of all of us who have labored to pass this important legislation our deep appreciation to the House leadership, particularly Majority Leader Hoyer, for their support which paved the way for the House last year to pass by unanimous consent H. Res. 1001, the resolution I introduced recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day.
As I have said many times, Juneteenth is as significant to African Americans as July 4 is to all Americans because on that day, June 19, 155 years ago, General Gordon Granger, the Commanding Officer of the District of Texas, rode into Galveston, Texas and announced the freedom of the last American slaves; belatedly freeing 250,000 slaves in Texas nearly two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
When General Granger read these words of General Order No. 3 set off joyous celebrations of the freedmen and women of Texas:
``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 therefore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.''
Juneteenth thus made real to the last persons living under the system of chattel slavery, of human bondage, the prophetic words of President Abraham Lincoln delivered November 19, 1863, at Gettysburg ``that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.''
Juneteenth was first celebrated in the Texas state capital in 1867 under the direction of the Freedmen's Bureau and remains the oldest known celebration of slavery's demise, commemorating freedom while acknowledging the sacrifices and contributions made by courageous African Americans towards making our great nation the more conscious and accepting country that it has become.
Juneteenth is as significant to African Americans as July 4 is to all Americans because on that day, June 19, 155 years ago, General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and announced the freedom of the last American slaves; belatedly freeing 250,000 slaves in Texas nearly two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth was first celebrated in the Texas state capital in 1867 under the direction of the Freedmen's Bureau.
Today, Juneteenth remains the oldest known celebration of slavery's demise. It commemorates freedom while acknowledging the sacrifices and contributions made by courageous African Americans towards making our great nation the more conscious and accepting country that it has become.
As the nation prepares to celebrate July 4th, our nation's independence day, it is a time to reflect on the accomplishments of our nation and its people.
General Granger's reading of this order ended chattel slavery, a form of perpetual servitude that held generations of Africans in bondage in the United States for two-hundred and forty-eight years and opened a new chapter in American history.
Recognizing the importance of this date, former slaves coined the word ``Juneteenth'' to mark the occasion with a celebrations the first of which occurred in the Texas state capital in 1867 under the direction of the Freedmen's Bureau.
Juneteenth was and is a living symbol of freedom for people who did not have it.
Juneteenth remains the oldest known celebration of slavery's demise.
It commemorates freedom while acknowledging the sacrifices and contributions made by courageous African Americans towards making our great nation the more conscious and accepting country that it has become.
The celebration of Juneteenth followed the most devastating conflict in our country's history, in the aftermath of a civil war that pitted brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor and threatened to tear the fabric of our union apart forever that America truly became the land of the free and the home of the brave.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ``Freedom is never free,'' and African American labor leader A. Phillip Randolph often said ``Freedom is never given. It is won.''
Truer words were never spoken.
We should all recognize the power and the ironic truth of those statements, and we should pause to remember the enormous price paid by all Americans in our country's quest to realize its promise.
Juneteenth honors the end of the 400 years of suffering African Americans endured under slavery and celebrates the legacy of perseverance that has become the hallmark of the African American experience in the struggle for equality.
In recent years, a number of National Juneteenth Organizations have arisen to take their place alongside older organizations--all with the mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.
Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures.
But it must always remain a reminder to us all that liberty and freedom are precious birthrights of all Americans, which must be jealously guarded and preserved for future generations.
I urge all members to support the rule and the underlying legislation.
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Ms. SCANLON. I want to echo the remarks of my distinguished colleague, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, in mentioning Pennsylvania's history in this moment. I want to highlight Philadelphia's role in our Nation's abolitionist movement, the Quakers, Lucretia Mott, who embraced that movement and pushed this country forward, the role of our residents in fighting and winning the Civil War, and being the birthplace of American ideals at Independence Hall.
Mr. Speaker, I hope that in passing this rule and the underlying bill we will take a collective step forward in achieving those goals that all Americans are equal under the law, treated fairly in our schools, our workplaces, our courts, and our public institutions.
Symbols hold power. Holidays hold power. While millions of Americans already celebrate Juneteenth and use the day to reflect on our collective past and future, this is an important step to formally commemorate a crucial part of our culture and history. I urge, again, that all my colleagues vote for the rule and the underlying bill.
The previous question was ordered.
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