H2728 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 14, 2021 Twelve former prison officers from grants and refugees, and temporarily sus- er’s announced policy of January 4, Yaroslavil colony were sentenced to up to pended forcible returns of foreign and state- 2021, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. four years and three months’ imprisonment less individuals. Some regional authorities JACKSON LEE) is recognized for 60 min- after a leaked video showed an inmate being ceased temporary detention of migrants, al- beaten in 2017. Six of them were immediately though new decisions on forcible returns utes as the designee of the majority released on account of time already spent in were also reported. leader. detention. The former head and deputy head UNLAWFUL ATTACKS GENERAL LEAVE of the colony were acquitted. Evidence including witness statements, Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, UNFAIR TRIALS videos, photographs and satellite imagery of Violations of the right to a fair trial re- seven air strikes against medical facilities I ask unanimous consent that all Mem- mained common. Detainees were denied and schools by Russian forces, and four by bers may have 5 legislative days in meetings with their lawyers and a number of Syrian or Russian forces, between May 2019 which to revise and extend their re- trials continued to be closed to the public, and February 2020 in Syria, corroborated al- marks and include extraneous material with the COVID–19 pandemic being often legations of serious violations of inter- on the subject of this Special Order. abusively used as a justification. national humanitarian law amounting to In February and June respectively, seven war crimes. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there young men from Penza, and two from Saint Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, a suc- objection to the request of the gentle- Petersburg, received sentences of up to 18 woman from Texas? years’ imprisonment under trumped-up ter- cessful meeting with Putin can only be rorism charges over their purported involve- accomplished proceeding from a posi- There was no objection. ment with a non-existent organization called tion of strength. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, ‘‘Network’’. Numerous allegations of torture While I am deeply concerned the ad- I rise this evening for the Congres- and other ill-treatment, and of fabrication of ministration waived Nord Stream 2 sional Black Caucus Special Order hour evidence, were ignored. sanctions, I am pleased President that deals with, of course, Juneteenth, Constitutional and legislative amendments Biden invited President Zelensky to a further eroded the right to a fair trial, in- a very special time that I am de- cluding by giving the President power to White House visit. I am also grateful lighted—with the leadership of our nominate the judges of the Constitutional the administration announced $150 mil- chair, Congresswoman JOYCE BEATTY; and Supreme Courts, and initiate the ap- lion in security assistance to Ukraine. and, of course, my coanchor, Congress- This week, President Biden has an pointment of all federal judges and dismissal man TORRES of New York—that we of senior federal judges. opportunity to pivot from the Trump stand here to provide this kind of lead- Counter-terrorism administration’s disastrous legacy that ership for this Congress and for this Counterterrorism legislation was widely left the transatlantic relationship in Nation. abused, often to target dissent. tatters. The Congress and our caucus Journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, from stand ready to work with the adminis- Let me extend my heartfelt apprecia- Dagestan, remained in custody under fab- tration to counter Russian aggression tion for all of the leadership that have ricated charges of financing terrorism and given us this time, including Speaker participation in terrorist and extremist or- by increasing Ukraine’s security and ganizations. His trial started in November. democracy assistance. PELOSI and, of course, Leader HOYER, In occupied Crimea, allegations of mem- Onward liberty. Onward Ukraine. and to acknowledge the significance to bership of the Islamist organization Hizb-ut- f African Americans as it relates to Tahrir (labelled as a ‘‘terrorist’’ movement Juneteenth. by Russia in 2003) were widely used to im- OFFERING SYMPATHY Coming from Texas, let me tell you prison ethnic Crimean Tatars. In June, Cri- (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was mean human rights defender Emir-Usein given permission to address the House that Juneteenth, a couple days from Kuku lost the appeal against his 12-year pris- for 1 minute.) today, will be an amazing commemora- on sentence. In September, another Crimean Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, tion. We will be unveiling a mural in human rights defender, Server Mustafayev, I rise as a fellow Texan to offer my Galveston, where General Granger first was sentenced to 14 years in prison. came. I believe thousands will come. In September, 19 men from Ufa, Bashkira, deepest sympathy to my fellow con- convicted for alleged Hiz-ut-Tahrir member- gressional colleagues in the Austin And if there will not be thousands, let ship and sentenced to between 10 and 24 area, to the local officials, and to all of you hear my voice: Thousands should years, lost their appeal, with one defendant’s those who suffered the brutality of the come because what a historic moment. sentence reduced by a year. mass shooting in the last couple of What does Juneteenth mean? VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS days—14—and my deepest sympathy to It means an acknowledgment of Proposals to introduce legislation on do- the family of the deceased loved one, mestic violence remained stalled in Par- those who were in bondage for over 200 who mourns today. years. The Emancipation Proclama- liament, while NGOs reported a sharp in- Out of respect for his family, I will crease in domestic violence following tion—which, by the way, for the 150th just simply say we mourn him, and we COVID–19 lockdown measures. commemoration, because we had not In June, the ECtHR held a Polshina v. Rus- are saddened by his loss. finished our congressional work, I was Madam Speaker, in Texas, the Gov- sia that deficiencies in the legal system re- actually here at midnight—which is lated to domestic violence violated the pro- ernor just signed a permitless gun bill. when President Abraham Lincoln hibitions of torture and discrimination. The All statistics suggest that this provides signed it at the National Archives. Court underlined Russia’s consistent failure for a shopping spree of guns. to investigate abuse, and years-long toler- It is important for three things to Looking at the original Emancipation ance of ‘‘a climate which was conducive to happen for our Nation to raise its Proclamation, what a sense of emotion. domestic violence’’. voices against gun violence and to But then to let you know that that RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, begin to pass sensible gun safety laws, did not free all of the slaves. Two years TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX (LGBTI) PEOPLE including my legislation for gun stor- in bondage continued for those west of LGBTI people continued to face discrimi- nation and persecution. Constitutional age, universal background checks, clos- the Mississippi and many States until amendments redefined marriage as a ‘‘union ing the Charleston loophole, to prevent General Granger reached the shores of between a man and woman’’, reinforcing ex- ghost guns, and banning assault weap- Galveston, still marked today in Texas, isting limitations on same-sex couples. ons. that said that you were free. LGBTI rights activist Yulia Tsvetkova was At the same time, we must raise up fined RUB75,000 (US$1,014) for posting online Can you imagine? Two extra years of the specter of mental health services. bondage. Couldn’t get out. Couldn’t her drawings in support of same-sex couples But most of all, as I chair the Sub- and faced other penalities, including ongoing read a newspaper or hold up a message presecution for pornography relating to her committee on Crime, Terrorism, and that had come from your relative that body positive drawings featuring female Homeland Security, we must raise our lived in Georgia. Couldn’t do anything. voice against violence and actually genitalia. General Granger read these words of MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS deal with it and try to cease it. I be- lieve America must do this. General Order Number 3, set off a joy- Over a third of foreign labour migrants re- ous celebration of the freed men and ported having lost work owing to the f women of Texas. I have no shame that COVID–19 pandemic, and thousands were CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH stranded in Russia due to related border clo- it was called Jubilee. And there were a sures. In April, a presidential decree eased The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. JA- lot of picnics and what we called in the work permit and residency rules for mi- COBS of California). Under the Speak- later years ‘‘red punch.’’

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:00 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A14JN7.023 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE June 14, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2729 Don’t diminish our celebration. Don’t knows what Juneteenth, the signifi- have to call his name: Mr. W.C. Parish, diminish that joy in the midst of sor- cance, the power of it is, and her legis- William Calhoun Parish. He was born row. lative legacy speaks to freedom. in Galveston, just 10 years after Grang- How many died who could not see Madam Speaker, I yield to the Hon- er’s Juneteenth announcement. freedom? orable BARBARA LEE. Black Texans began celebrating Here are the words: ‘‘The people of b 1945 Juneteenth the following year, and Texas are informed that, in accordance year after year for the last 150-plus with the Proclamation from the Execu- Ms. LEE of California. Madam years. Communities across the Nation tive of the United States, all slaves are Speaker, first of all, let me thank the have created their own traditions and free. This involves an absolute equality gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. JACKSON events to honor and commemorate this LEE) for yielding but also for her tre- of rights and rights of property be- historic moment as a day of freedom. mendous leadership and for the Eman- tween former masters and slaves, and It is not just a cultural celebration cipation Trail that she so boldly led. I the connection heretofore existing be- for African Americans. It is a true tes- am just amazed at what she shared tween them becomes that between em- tament to the endurance of our demo- with me earlier today and just now on ployer and hired laborer.’’ cratic ideals of liberty and equality. the floor. Now, the word was said that they So, we need to pass H.R. 1320, the Because, yes, I am a daughter of Juneteenth National Independence Day were offered, the slaves: Don’t worry Texas. My grandfather was born in about it, just stay on the plantations, Act, establishing Juneteenth as a Fed- 1875—10 years after. And my grand- eral holiday to further cement the im- and we will pay you. mother may have been part of the I am grateful, but those courageous, portance of this date in our Nation’s Emancipation Trail. She was born but impoverished, without insight, historical narrative on freedom. probably in—they left Galveston I thank Congresswoman JACKSON without resources, without compensa- around 1900. tion, without recognition, they said in LEE, again, for introducing this legisla- Ms. JACKSON LEE. She would have tion, and I am a proud cosponsor. The their own power: We are leaving the been part of it at a later time, but that plantations. last time Congress enacted a Federal trail, since we know for sure there were holiday, I believe it was Dr. Martin Lu- And they migrated up this road no other ways of moving, she had to called Emancipation Trail. ther King, Jr.’s birthday, and it took walk along that semi-developed trail of nearly 20 years for it to pass. We can- I am gratified that I was able to in- little cities from Galveston—walk troduce such legislation where my Sen- not let this idle. along, drive along, in whatever capac- Each year, Juneteenth compels us to ate colleague, Senator CORNYN, joined ity, and when I say ‘‘drive along,’’ confront the darkest chapter in Amer- me and now an Emancipation Trail has horse and buggy and otherwise. ican history, a chapter born in the Mid- been established as law. It is now under That was a trail that the freed dle Passage, continued through slav- study. It will be only the second com- slaves, the ex-slaves, went from Gal- ery, and manifested today through sys- memoration of African-American his- veston all the way. There was the temic racism. Our Nation’s racial past tory in this Nation. The Selma to Reedy A.M.E., if I am correct, one of has consistently led to inequities in in- Montgomery is the first, and now the the historic A.M.E. churches where come, education, employment, Emancipation Trail that says: No, I they stopped for refuge. Then they healthcare, and the wealth gap of Afri- was not going stay on the plantation; came on up, and they sought their way can Americans. however, I was going to survive; what- to freedom. They were not going to We must use Juneteenth to reflect ever I had to place together, I was stay on the plantation. upon the dehumanization of enslaved going to do it. Madam Speaker, I yield back to the Africans in America but also to honor Then, of course, lo and behold, they gentlewoman. their legacy because ‘‘and still we found themselves—eight of them, freed Ms. LEE of California. Madam rise.’’ slaves, put their money together and Speaker, that sounds like my great- The labor stolen from enslaved Afri- purchased the first park bought in the grandmother Fanny, who I did not cans built this country. Black people State of Texas by freed slaves or any- know, but my grandfather spoke of her. created some of the most cherished na- one. They called it Emancipation Park. I am certain that she was part of that. tional symbols, all while considered So that is why we are here to cele- As I listened to my colleague and merely three-fifths of a person under brate and to educate this idea of what looked more into my personal family our Constitution. it means to celebrate Juneteenth. I am history, Galveston, certainly, is in my We must honor and recognize the delighted that we have introduced a spirit. I guess that is why each and millions of men, women, and children resolution that is bipartisan. But the every year since I was a child, we con- lost to the brutality of slavery. As a most exciting part about this is that I tinued to celebrate Juneteenth as our Nation, we must reckon with the true have introduced a bill that establishes liberation day, our emancipation day. nature and legacy of slavery in the Juneteenth as a national Federal holi- Historically, we generally recognize United States and acknowledge how it day. Not removing any other holiday, January 1, 1863, the date when the has allowed a false racial hierarchy to but adding it to the list. Cosponsored Emancipation Proclamation was permeate and infect our society today. by Senator MARKEY and Senator COR- signed, as the end of chattel slavery of That is why, Congresswoman JACK- NYN, and bipartisan. Over 160 cospon- African Americans in the United SON LEE, it is time to pass H.R. 40, leg- sors in the House. States. However, for generations, Afri- islation to establish a commission to I think it is worthy to have a holi- can-American communities have been study and develop reparations—cham- day—a Federal holiday established, and celebrating June 19 as a symbolic date pioned, again, by a great Texan—to re- I am very proud to have been the representing our freedom from enslave- pair this damage, and my resolution, Congressperson for Representative Al ment. H.R. 19, calling for truth, racial heal- Edwards, who is called the father of As Congresswoman JACKSON LEE ing, and transformation. Juneteenth, establishing the first paid mentioned, Major General Gordon It is way too long. It is past overdue. State holiday in the State of Texas Granger arrived in Galveston to an- We must repair this damage and move highlighting, honoring, revering nounce the end of the Civil War. He forward. Juneteenth. also declared that the enslaved Afri- Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. JACK- You will hear many of us continue cans were now equal in personal rights SON LEE for this evening. I thank our our discussions about Juneteenth, its to that of their former masters, ending CBC chairwoman, JOYCE BEATTY, and significance in terms of freedom. And I the inhumane, barbaric subjugation of our vice chair, Mr. HORSFORD, for this am delighted, as I said, to be co- African Americans as property that Special Order tonight. I think it is very anchoring with my colleague. It is im- still continued 21⁄2 years after the important that the history be told of portant to express our appreciation to Emancipation Proclamation was Juneteenth and how it connects to our chair, the Honorable BARBARA LEE, signed. today and systemic racism. a Californian but born in Texas with a Again, we are not far removed from Madam Speaker, I thank the gentle- grandfather born in Galveston. She this history. Citing my grandfather, I woman for honoring my ancestors.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K14JN7.028 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE H2730 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 14, 2021 Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, ally attributed to Milwaukee’s notably opportunity continues to this great it is a privilege to be able to have a special, historic response to the system day in our society. We see it reflected Californian with deep roots in Texas on of slavery and to our efforts to teach in the marches, in the movements, in the floor because what this says to our the young people about Wisconsin’s the legislation, and in everything that body is that this issue of slavery per- and Milwaukee’s role in ending slavery. we do today, because despite our being meated all aspects of this Nation. We Now, in 1854, a Missouri slave owner free, we see the disparities in can see that from the work, the com- traveled to Racine, Wisconsin, the healthcare, in education, in homeown- mitment, and the compassion of the place where I was born, 27 miles south ership, in COVID. Honorable BARBARA LEE, followed by, of Milwaukee, to demand that a run- The struggle is real. The struggle of course, a native daughter of Wis- away slave by the name of Joshua continues. And we are here to remind consin who saw it in a different form Glover be surrendered under the U.S. everyone that all of us are Americans. and is compelled to be on the floor Fugitive Slave Law. Glover, who had Madam Speaker, I again thank SHEI- today and who has championed for the been playing cards at the time, was ar- LA JACKSON LEE for yielding. impoverished as well and particularly rested and carried 27 miles north to b 2000 championed for those who are experi- Milwaukee so that he could be in a se- encing modern-day impacts of slavery cure jail until the Federal marshals Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, through inequities, through poverty, could move Joshua Glover back to Mis- what a rich and enriching discussion. through welfare, and that has been souri because it was a larger and more Thank you to the gentlewoman from treated unfairly. That is the Honorable secure jail. Wisconsin. That is why we gathered GWEN MOORE from Wisconsin. Well, when abolitionist newspaper here, to say to America, we come from Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- editor Sherman Booth heard this, he the Midwest, the South, the East, and tlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. MOORE). rode through Milwaukee streets calling we still find a common bond around the Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam on sympathizers to storm the jail. A question of Juneteenth, reparations, Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for mob of 5,000 Milwaukeeans out- and of course, voting rights that are so yielding to me and for inviting me. numbered the police and demanded the important. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to keys, but the wardens refused. The But as I yield, let me be very clear, join my CBC colleagues in highlighting crowd smashed down the door. Joshua these are American values. These are the importance of honoring the holiday Glover was freed and successfully values that my friends on the other and continuing the legacy of moved through the Underground Rail- side of the aisle could adopt, just like Juneteenth Day, the first one cele- road to Canada. I could adopt. brated on June 19, 1865. Booth later declared in court: Why? Because I don’t know anyone As you have heard, this is the date on I rejoice that the first attempt to convert that would extinguish freedom and which Union Major General Gordon our jail into a slave-pen and our citizens into deny that where there is bondage and Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to slave-catchers has signally failed. where freedom comes, we should cele- announce the end of both the Civil War The Wisconsin State Supreme Court brate it, but we should tell the story and the inhumane system of legalized agreed with him and declared the Fed- about it, and we should respond to it. enslavement of Africans in the United eral Fugitive Slave Law unconstitu- Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to States of America. tional in Wisconsin. In fact, in 1850, yield to the distinguished gentlewoman Now, it must be noted that this an- Wisconsin was the first and only State from Florida (Mrs. DEMINGS), who has a nouncement came 21⁄2 years after Presi- to declare the Fugitive Slave Law un- number of historical monuments in dent Abraham Lincoln issued an execu- constitutional. Florida that indicates her knowledge tive order that most of us know as the As one of my constituents, the cura- and understanding of freedom. Emancipation Proclamation. But it is tor of the Wisconsin Black Historical Mrs. DEMINGS. Madam Speaker, as an important reminder that our efforts Society, noted, the Juneteenth holiday you know, our Nation was created with to form a more perfect Union don’t signifies that African Americans are the highest ideals and values. Our new really have any timeframe or any date, full citizens of this country, deserving Nation was set aside to be a beacon of but they are ever ongoing. of equity and justice. hope where we could build our hopes Madam Speaker, I want you to know Madam Speaker, it is an important and dreams and calm our fears. We are that in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from day of jubilation not only for the de- known as the home of the brave and which I hail, we are going to be cele- scendants of Africans enslaved in the land of the free. brating Juneteenth Day, and it will be United States but for the American Yes, the history is clear, when Presi- the 50th anniversary of Juneteenth people as a whole, for it is not just sim- dent Abraham Lincoln signed the Day. Yes, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, up ply Black history that we are cele- Emancipation Proclamation, America north, we started observing this holi- brating. We are celebrating a victory in demonstrated its ability to rise to its day in 1971. It is a long way from Gal- American history about freedom and values. But America’s history, as we veston, Texas, making it one of the equality for all of us who call ourselves all know, is complicated. For it took 2 first Northern States to commemorate Americans. years, from January 1 of 1863 to June 19 the end of slavery in our country. While it may have been the 13th and of 1865, for the last group of enslaved Madam Speaker, this Saturday, we the 14th Amendments of the Constitu- Americans to receive official word that will again gather along North King tion that formally freed the slaves, let they were indeed free. Drive to highlight Black culture with us continue to observe Juneteenth Day But we know today, Madam Speaker, traditional food, music, youth essay as our day of reflection, knowing that that our work is not yet done. We are contests, marketplaces, pageants, and our ancestors paid in blood and paid it still a work in progress. We the people, a parade, unofficially marking the forward for the unimaginable toil for in order to form a more perfect union, opening of Milwaukee’s famous sum- the freedom recognized on this day. we are a work in progress. mer festival. This coming Friday, we As I often tell our young people: Let us celebrate Juneteenth, as we will be raising the Juneteenth flag in Freedom just ain’t free, y’all. Our an- should. But celebrating freedom must the State capital of Madison, Wis- cestors paid for it. And as a tribute to be more than just a special day. It consin, to honor this day. We take them, we have to take responsibility to must be a celebration of who as a Na- Juneteenth seriously. do the best that we can and continue to tion we say we are; one who says we be- Madam Speaker, in 1972, the Mil- work tirelessly toward justice and eq- lieve in justice for all. waukee Journal Sentinel reported an uity in this great land of ours. Yes, America celebrates being free, estimated 3,000 people attending our Madam Speaker, that is why I admire celebrates our freedom from physical second annual Juneteenth festival. SHEILA JACKSON LEE and BARBARA LEE bondage, but we must also celebrate That number increased over the years, so much for their efforts around rep- freedom from discrimination. We must and between 160,000 and 170,000 people arations and equity in our society. also celebrate freedom from racism. We have attended these festivals. The high With that good news arriving in Gal- must also celebrate freedom from pov- number of festival-goers can be person- veston, the push for true equality of erty. We must also celebrate freedom

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K14JN7.029 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE June 14, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2731 from injustice. And we must also cele- Nonetheless, even 156 years later, This came out of Texas. This Rep- brate freedom from complacency. America and the way her laws are ap- resentative is all over. He misinter- Mrs. Coretta Scott King said this: plied remain biased against the Black prets the teaching by teachers. He has ‘‘Struggle is a never ending process. man. Our neighborhoods and our never sat in the class to know that Freedom is never really won, you earn schools are still subject to de facto seg- teachers are not condemning, they are it and win it in every generation.’’ regation, and schools with larger Afri- just educating. Isn’t it wonderful in lit- Madam Speaker, regardless of the can-American populations are unlikely tle babies’ minds to not put condemna- color of our skin, what State we are to receive adequate funding and sup- tion but to put understanding so that from, how much money we have in the port. we can appreciate each other’s condi- bank, our religion, our gender, or our Our justice system is a continuation tion? political party, we all have an obliga- of this systemic bias. Under the guise Madam Speaker, I am delighted to tion, and we all must carry the torch of of public protection, we arrest and yield to the gentleman from Nevada freedom. forcibly confine African Americans five (Mr. HORSFORD), who is the first vice Madam Speaker, I thank our chair times as often as White Americans for chair of the Congressional Black Cau- who is leading this Special Order. the exact same crimes. Now, these re- cus but sits on the Ways and Means Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, alities directly contradict American Committee. And if he will allow me, I I can’t imagine with the recounting of ideals. just want to make this point. the story by VAL DEMINGS that we are And so on this anniversary of You are seeing Members of the Con- not securing, how should I say it, mul- Juneteenth, I believe the best way to gressional Black Caucus, and I can tell tiple numbers of Members to join in celebrate the community and honor you our agenda is as wide and varied as the holiday pronouncement and resolu- our past is to take deliberate action to America, from taxation to agriculture tion, and bill, rather, of Juneteenth, to make our country a just and equitable to tech to criminal justice to the issues support H.R. 40, and to recognize the home for all Americans. that American is facing, job creation. value of commemorating and teaching But how can we do that when Repub- But we also understand that we about the history of African Ameri- licans are now on this issue called crit- would be remiss if we did not stand on cans. ical race theory, and they want to ban the floor to be able to give our own life Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- all discussion about this legal concept experiences and to share with America tleman from Georgia (Mr. JOHNSON), a that they have turned into a political what the value of our diversity is all person who has great knowledge and is football. It was a legal concept that about. a great storyteller, a fighter for jus- now has taken on some kind of a das- Madam Speaker, I now yield to the tice, and a fellow member of the Judi- tardly meaning. gentleman from Nevada (Mr. ciary Committee. And the only thing it is, is first an HORSFORD). Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam acknowledgment that the vestiges of Mr. HORSFORD. Madam Speaker, I Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for racism, the vestiges of slavery and rac- appreciate the gentlewoman from leading this Special Order today on be- ism still exist in this country, and a Texas, the esteemed Congresswoman half of the Congressional Black Caucus discussion about how it impacts our SHEILA JACKSON LEE, for her yielding as we rise together to celebrate the Af- current reality. That is all that we are and her leadership in anchoring this rican-American community and to talking about. We are talking about re- Special Order hour along with our col- commemorate an unsung holiday alizing history, celebrating history in league, Congressman TORRES. known as Juneteenth. the case of Juneteenth. We have a lot I commend both of them for the lead- Now, I was 21 years old when I first to celebrate, and all of us should cele- ership that they provide in bringing heard of Juneteenth. That was the year brate, but we cannot do that unless we our voice as the Congressional Black that I arrived in Texas to go to law know what our history is. Caucus to the floor of the House of school at Texas Southern University. And my friends on the other side of Representatives during this Special Having been born here in the District the aisle are taking deliberate acts now Order hour. of Columbia, somewhat north—some to suppress it. I told you, I just heard Madam Speaker, I thank our Chair- folks say it is south, but I considered it about it, you know, when I was 21 years woman JOYCE BEATTY for recognizing to be the north, but now I accept it as old. You know, we need our people to just how important it is for the Con- being in the south. know about this. We need America to gressional Black Caucus to speak on so Back then, I didn’t learn anything know about it, and we can all celebrate many important issues. about Juneteenth living here in Wash- together, just like we do with all the Today is the commemoration for the ington, D.C., nor did I learn about it other holidays like Thanksgiving, for Juneteenth holiday that we now recog- when I moved south to Atlanta at the instance. nize and to commemorate June 19th, age of 17. So the first time I heard was Madam Speaker, I don’t mean to be 1865, when some of the last enslaved in Texas, and it was a joyful celebra- divisive, but I do want to speak truth. people in the United States learned tion, a joyful day. But since I have left Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, that they were free. Texas and gone back to Georgia, we as I get ready to yield to the distin- But as my colleagues have spoken don’t really celebrate Juneteenth in guished gentleman from Las Vegas, Ne- about here tonight, more than 2 years Georgia. vada, I want to make sure he lets me before the first Juneteenth, President Right now, this year, will constitute know my pronunciation is correct, it is Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proc- the first county in Georgia—it would a very sensitive question. lamation, freeing enslaved people in be my home county, DeKalb County— But as the gentleman from Georgia Confederate States. that will recognize and celebrate leaves, let me at least acknowledge Instead, though, slave owners hid the Juneteenth as a holiday. And it is a that critical race theory. Here is the news of emancipation and kept free holiday that should be enjoyed by all of question I ask: Should I not know people in captivity, but on Juneteenth Americans, not just by Black people, about Italians and how they came and the truth set them free. And but by White people, too, because when were treated? Should I not know about Juneteenth is now a celebration, a one of us are in bondage, it means all the Irish who left in the midst of the commemoration of the power of that of us are in bondage. When all of us are potato famine and faced discrimina- truth. free is when we are truly free. tion? Should I not know about Native A lot of people want to hide our his- So Juneteenth marks the 156th cele- Americans? tory, they want to not speak about the bration of the ending of slavery in this So we are the American experiment. truth of our history, but there are Nation, and since then we have made Does everybody realize that? No one truths, like emancipation, that merit significant strides in the expansion of thought that we would ever survive, us speaking and celebrating and com- civil rights. We have outlawed segrega- and we have come together with a mul- memorating, as we are doing. But we tion, integrated our schools, and done titude of groups. Our strength is in the also must reckon with the horrors of important work to increase access to recognition of our differences, and in this past that is also part of the United the polls. our unity. States history.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K14JN7.031 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE H2732 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 14, 2021 b 2015 present his first speech on the floor of populace. While America has broken As we honor Juneteenth, we must re- the House. some promises in the past, we, America member the decades of Jim Crow laws Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- collectively, have the ability and the and white supremacist terror that fol- tleman from the State of Louisiana potential to rectify our past wrongs. lowed even after the freeing of enslaved (Mr. CARTER). We strive to improve; we work to grow; Black peoples. We must remember the Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam and we push to remediate our problems Tulsa race massacre and the destruc- Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman and make them better. tion of Black Wall Street as we do so much for her incredible leadership As of today, 47 States have declared other race massacres that have oc- on this issue and so many others. We Juneteenth a State holiday. My native curred during our history. And we must appreciate all that she does, and we ap- State of Louisiana recently signed into commit to understanding how systemic preciate her steadfast and steady hand law that Louisiana will now recognize racism has shaped our Nation’s past of guidance and leadership for the peo- Juneteenth as a State holiday. I am and, sadly, its present. ple of America. very proud of that measure, and I am I am the first African-American Con- Madam Speaker, I am grateful for very proud of our Governor, John Bel gressman from the State of Nevada, so the opportunity to address this body. Edwards, for signing that measure into I feel uniquely honored to bring the On Freedom’s Eve, January 1, 1863, law. I am very proud of the legislators voices of my community and my con- enslaved and free African Americans who fought to bring it forward. stituents to the floor of this House. I gathered across the country, awaiting I am grateful for the steps that we am also proud that in my district and news that the Emancipation Proclama- have taken to recognize the history be- across the Silver State, Juneteenth tion had taken effect. When the clock hind Juneteenth and to honor its leg- celebrations have multiplied in recent struck midnight, their prayers were acy. That is why I believe that years with the help of scholars and answered, as it was declared that all Juneteenth should be a federally ob- leaders, including Diane Pollard, who enslaved people in Confederate States served holiday. This is America, and literally was one of my educators in were legally free. despite all of our many challenges, high school; Al Gourrier, Sr.; Deborah While the 13th Amendment did end America continues to be the world’s Evans; and many other luminaries who slavery under the law, not all who were greatest nation. have carried on the spirit of enslaved were immediately freed. It For this reason, I am optimistic Juneteenth. took more than 2 years for the freedom about our future and optimistic about This week, throughout my district, to reach everyone when the Union our corrections. Together, we can we are celebrating the 20th anniversary troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, make our world a better place and up- of the Las Vegas Juneteenth Festival, to announce that more than 250,000 hold the promise of freedom and justice which supports educational program- people within the State were free. for all. ming for underserved youth through It was this day, June 19, 1865, that we Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, the Rainbow Dreams Education Foun- mark as the true day of freedom from let me congratulate the gentleman for dation and the Rainbow Dreams Acad- the tyranny and oppression of slavery the new law in Louisiana and for his emy Charter School. and the first steps into the Reconstruc- leadership and his powerful message on I also want to recognize the Save Our tion era. We now honor this day, June this floor on the freedom, really, of all Sons Juneteenth Festival, which brings 19, as Juneteenth. people. My freedom is your freedom, our community together to celebrate While Juneteenth is a historic day your freedom is my freedom, and our Juneteenth and to support mentoring that has been widely known and cele- freedom is America’s freedom. for underserved youth. brated by African Americans for over a Let me express my appreciation to You see, Madam Speaker, Juneteenth century, it is clear that many Ameri- my co-anchor, the gentleman from New isn’t just about what happened in the cans still are unaware of the signifi- York (Mr. TORRES). I thank him for his past. It is what is continuing to happen cance of this historic date. In the wake leadership. Let me be very clear that right now, today, in the present. of the demonstrations that took place both his history and his State as well As Juneteenth celebrations grow, so last summer, many Americans were have a vested history in liberty and does our collective understanding faced with the uncomfortable truth re- freedom, but, yes, no place did escape about the vibrant Black culture and garding our country’s fraught racial the vestiges of slavery. history that have shaped our Nation history. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- since its founding. The word ‘‘Juneteenth’’ entered our tleman from New York (Mr. TORRES). So let us embrace Juneteenth 2021 as Nation’s lexicon at a time when Ameri- Mr. TORRES of New York. Madam a day of truth. Let us remember the cans were left to reconcile their daily Speaker, I thank Congresswoman JACK- joys and sorrows of our history. And let lives with our daily struggles. It was a SON LEE for her leadership. us build from them toward a more per- time set aside for reflection, for learn- In order to understand where we fect Union, with true liberty, true jus- ing, for mourning, and for upheaval. stand in the present, we have to under- tice, and true equality for all. Juneteenth marks the day that we as a stand where we have been and how we Madam Speaker, I thank the anchor nation were truly able to end the insid- came to arrive at a society as racially for yielding, and I thank my colleagues ious practice of slavery and begin to divided and as unequal as our own. For for coming to the floor to bring com- move forward to a better world. It also me, it is a scandal that most Ameri- memoration for Juneteenth 2021. marks that our country still struggles cans have never heard of Juneteenth Ms. JACKSON LEE. May I ask the and must live up to its promise. and most Americans have never heard Speaker the time remaining, please. Representative John Lewis was an of the Tulsa race massacre because The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- American icon, a civil rights leader, these events are rarely, if ever, taught tlewoman from Texas has 22 minutes and one of my personal heroes. In this in public education. remaining. Congress, we prepare to hear a bill in Juneteenth is not only not taught in Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, his name that expands voting rights, our public schools, but there is not it is my privilege to yield to a gen- the very thing he was asked for as he even a national holiday celebrating an tleman with a storied and layered his- crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge dec- event that has profound meaning to tory entrenched in one of the States ades ago. Black Americans, to all Americans. So that suffered the extension of slavery In 2021, we continue to speak out and I want to commend the gentlewoman’s and faces its challenges today, of which fight against systemic racism as its leadership in advancing a bill that this gentleman has been in the mix and vestiges of voter suppression, redlining, would establish Juneteenth as a na- in the gap of fighting for justice. We gerrymandering, and other Jim Crow tional holiday. are excited about his presence here. I relics still erode our democracy today. Frederick Douglass famously posed am so honored and privileged that he What makes America great is our di- the question: What to a slave is July has chosen, with all of the work he has versity. It is our ability to see and un- Fourth? to do because he was elected in a spe- derstand issues from the many dif- Juneteenth is to Black America what cial election, this moment in history to ferent perspectives that encompass our July Fourth has exclusively been to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K14JN7.033 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE June 14, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2733 White America: Independence Day. Crow, a system of racial discrimina- And then, if we want to make it real- Juneteenth refers to the moment when tion, racial segregation, and racial ter- istic and home for our moment, as my slaves in Texas came to discover their rorism. colleagues have said, we spent 4 days in legal freedom under the Emancipation b 2030 Tulsa, Greenwood, that was burned to Proclamation. Out of that discovery the ground; 300 in an unmarked grave. came a 156-year tradition of What followed the failure of Recon- This is what 1921 looked like; not 1865, Juneteenth celebration. It refers to the struction was the lost century. not 1810, not 1799, not 1724, when slav- Madam Speaker, for me, the lesson of moment when Major General Gordon ery was raging, if you will, 250 years. Juneteenth is that an activist Federal Granger led a Union Army to Texas to This is what it looked like in 1921; a Government is an essential defender of enforce the Emancipation Proclama- black body burned on the streets of human rights and civil rights. It is an tion 21⁄2 years after its issuance. Greenwood. essential defender of equality and dig- The announcement was known as So when we talk about jubilee and nity and humanity for all Americans. General Order Number 3, and it read as freedom, we do it in a way that we can, We must learn from the lessons of his- follows: ‘‘The people of Texas are in- as Americans, be free. And then I want tory, and we must continue the work of formed that, in accordance with a proc- to say that matches the Emancipation Reconstruction that is long overdue. lamation from the Executive of the Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, Trail that is now law in the State of United States, all slaves are free. This I say to the gentleman from New York, Texas, that march from victory, when involves an absolute equality of per- it is an esteemed pleasure to be able to General Granger said you are free. It sonal rights and rights of property be- draw upon both his knowledge and matches H.R. 40, which is a non-offen- tween former masters and slaves, and scholarship—might I stand on his sive repair and reconciliation that the connection heretofore existing be- shoulders—an activist Federal Govern- speaks to the language that Justice tween them becomes that between em- ment. Hughes said about Black Americans, ployer and hired labor.’’ For some reason, as we face these the discrete and insular minority ex- For me, Juneteenth contains a deep- trials and tribulations of 2021, there is cluded from those political processes er lesson that we ignore at our own a hesitancy to realize that the Federal ordinarily to be relied upon to protect peril. Law becomes real not when it is Government is, in simplistic terms, an them. All throughout tenure here there proclaimed but when it is enforced. umbrella on a rainy day. It is, in fact, were denials of our freedom. The emancipation of enslaved people the concrete barrier in the time of a And then, of course, Dr. Martin Lu- became real not when it was pro- storm. And that is why we are on the ther King, Jr., talked about an insuffi- claimed by Abraham Lincoln but when floor today. cient check; not of money, but he it was enforced by the Union Army, Let me acknowledge that an activist talked about that we have never been most notably on Juneteenth. Federal Government, in the positive given justice and equality. The desegregation of our public way, would be the government that So when we speak of the Emanci- schools became real not when it was would say that Italian history and pation Trail, only the second com- proclaimed by the Supreme Court in Irish history, Latinx, Hispanic history, memoration of the history of African Brown v. Board of Education but when and Caribbean history, and African his- Americans 250 years in bondage, when it was enforced most notably by Presi- tory, and the Pilgrim Pride history, we speak of Juneteenth, it is for all to dent Eisenhower, who sent the Na- and European history, and Asian-Pa- celebrate, when General Granger land- tional Guard to Little Rock, Arkansas. cific history, and Southeast Asian-Pa- ed on the shores of Galveston. Voting rights became real not when cific, and any others that I have left We will be in Galveston celebrating. it was proclaimed by the 15th Amend- out, is valuable to be heard by our chil- We will see Naomi Carrier. We will see ment but when it was enforced a cen- dren’s ears. It is valuable to be taught. Eileen Lawal and Jackie Bostic, tury later by the Voting Rights Act en- Then they would be able to under- Ramon Manning and, of course, the forced by the process of preclearance, stand the gentleman’s entreat, his re- Emancipation Conservatory. We will which has since been gutted by the Su- quest, which is H.R. 1320, which is bi- get to see Opal Lee, almost 100 years preme Court but which we are seeking partisan, that declares Juneteenth a old, fighting for this holiday, or Al to restore with the John Lewis Voting national Federal holiday. Edwards. We will get to see Senator Rights Act. And to the wrong representation of CORNYN, a Republican who joins us in Reconstruction was doomed by a lack right-wing radio, it doesn’t substitute this commemoration, and all others. of Federal enforcement. In the begin- any holiday. It adds it to the list of We will get to see the Nation be able to ning, Reconstruction had early success. Federal holidays. It does not subtract understand in its finality that it must It saw the passage of the 13th Amend- any holiday; does not take any holiday be clear, it must be our birthright. ment, which abolished slavery; the 14th away. Yet it acknowledges the impor- It is a reminder, this day, on Amendment, which provided for equal tance of that day and, as well, it is led Juneteenth, that liberty and freedom protection of the law and which prohib- by Senators MARKEY and CORNYN, a Re- are precious birthrights of all Ameri- ited discrimination based on race; and publican and Democrat in the United cans, which must be jealously guarded the 15th Amendment, which provided States Senate, and it is a bipartisan and preserved for future generations. for voting rights and which prohibited bill in the House. That is why we are on the floor disenfranchisement based on race. Is there any reason not to move this today. We are not in anger. We are not During Reconstruction, scores of Af- bill along as quickly as possible? in anguish. We are here, in fact, for lib- rican Americans began exercising their And if there is a basis for not under- eration, freedom, and the empower- fundamental right to vote, and some standing what freedom meant, look at ment of all Americans. African Americans began winning elec- this slave that was symbolic of the life Let stories be told, no matter who tive office. For a fleeting moment, that slave led; but that is the light of you are. And let the story be told of there was an outburst of Black polit- being beat. those uniquely held in bondage, ical power in America. Then came a What about those who were beaten to through H.R. 40, the Commission to turning point in the 1876 Presidential death or burned to death? Study and Develop Reparation Pro- election, whose outcome was decided It is no shame for our children to be posals, which we seek to put on the by a congressional commission. taught this history. I know no teacher floor in this great month. And, of Then-Presidential candidate Ruther- who would stand in the classroom and course, the national holiday of ford B. Hayes cut a deal with white su- condemn children. I know teachers who Juneteenth, along with the historic premacists in the United States Con- are loving, and will give understanding, gift that we give to America, the gress. He agreed to withdraw the Union and let a child come out and say, I Emancipation Trail, that all the world Army from the former Confederate want a better America. will be able to come. States in exchange for the Presidency. Isn’t that the kind of soldier and doc- Madam Speaker, I am delighted to When the Union Army withdrew from tor and lawyer and teacher we want to thank my chair, the Honorable JOYCE the South, it left behind a vacuum that build up? Isn’t that the kind of citizen BEATTY, for her leadership in the Con- ultimately came to be filled by Jim we want to grow? gressional Black Caucus. And because

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K14JN7.034 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE H2734 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 14, 2021 of freedom, it is a wonderment to stand Juneteenth was and is a living symbol of It should not be overlooked that the source here, free, with my colleague from New freedom for people who did not have it. of the January 6 white mob’s irrational anger, York, my co-chair, the Honorable Con- Juneteenth remains the oldest known cele- hatred, and violent reaction was that Black gressman TORRES, and all others. bration of slavery’s demise. Americans voted in overwhelming numbers in Isn’t it precious? It commemorates freedom while acknowl- Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and In God we trust that we stand here in edging the sacrifices and contributions made other enclaves to oust the most proWhite su- freedom. Let us not ever lose it, and let by courageous African Americans towards premacy President since the Civil War. us fight for it and let us keep it. making our great nation the more conscious Some might ask ‘‘Why dwell on the past? Madam Speaker, I yield back the bal- and accepting country that it has become. Let us forget unpleasant things and move on ance of my time. The celebration of Juneteenth followed the into the future.’’ Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise most devastating conflict in our country’s his- My answer is to quote the great southern to anchor the Congressional Black Caucus’s tory, in the aftermath of a civil war that pitted writer William Faulkner: ‘‘The past is never Special Order tonight on Juneteenth Inde- brother against brother, neighbor against dead. It is not even the past.’’ pendence Day. neighbor and threatened to tear the fabric of The hatreds, prejudices, resentments, and I am pleased to be joined by Congress- our union apart forever that America truly be- white supremacy that Black Americans wit- woman BEATTY, the Chair of the CBC; Con- came the land of the free and the home of the nessed and suffered in Greenwood a century gressman TORRES of New York, the co-anchor brave. ago are not dead; they are not even past. for this Special Order, and so many of our The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once So my message to the descendants of the CBC colleagues to commemorate a historically said, ‘‘Freedom is never free,’’ and African survivors and victims of slavery, America’s significant day for all Americans, but especially American labor leader A. Phillip Randolph Original Sin, is to keep fighting for justice, to African Americans. often said ‘‘Freedom is never given. It is won.’’ never be silent, to affirm the truth, and seek Let me extend on behalf of the CBC its Truer words were never spoken. accountability. heartfelt thanks to the House leadership, par- We should all recognize the power and the In his famous Second Inaugural Address, ticularly Majority Leader HOYER, for their sup- ironic truth of those statements, and we President Lincoln spoke of the profound moral port which paved the way for the House last should pause to remember the enormous debt owed for ‘‘all the wealth piled by the year to pass by unanimous consent H. Res. price paid by all Americans in our country’s bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of un- 1001, the resolution I introduced recognizing quest to realize its promise. requited toil,’’ and that the Civil War was the Juneteenth Independence Day. Juneteenth honors the end of the 400 years Madam Speaker, Juneteenth is as signifi- of suffering African Americans endured under judgment of the Lord, which was ‘‘true and cant to African Americans as July 4 is to all slavery and celebrates the legacy of persever- righteous altogether.’’ That debt remains to be paid, which is why Americans because on that day, June 19, 155 ance that has become the hallmark of the Afri- African Americans have always peacefully pe- years ago, General Gordon Granger, the can American experience in the struggle for titioned the government for the redress of its Commanding Officer of the District of Texas, equality. grievances. rode into Galveston, Texas and announced But Madam Speaker, as the poet Langston As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said at the freedom of the last American slaves; belat- Hughes reminds us in his famous poem, the 1963 March on Washington: edly freeing 250,000 slaves in Texas nearly ’’Mother to Son,’’ life in America for African ‘‘In a sense, we have come to our nation’s two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln Americans ‘‘ain’t been no crystal stair.’’ capital to cash a check. When the architects signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The post-bellum period in America was of our republic wrote the magnificent words of When General Granger read these words of marked by violence and terrorism against Afri- the Constitution and the Declaration of Inde- General Order No. 3 set off joyous celebra- can Americans as they sought to make real pendence, they were signing a promissory tions of the freedmen and woman of Texas: the promises of the Declaration of Independ- ‘‘The people of Texas are informed that in ence and the Constitution. note to which every American was to fall heir. accordance with a Proclamation from the Ex- Nowhere was the reign of terror to which ‘‘This note was a promise that all men, yes, ecutive of the United States, all slaves are they were subjected to more horrific than the black men as well as white men, would be free. This involves an absolute equality of 1921 Tulsa-Greenwood Race Massacre, which guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, rights and rights of property between former occurred a century ago this past May 31–June and the pursuit of happiness. masters and slaves, and the connection there- 1. ‘‘It is obvious today that America has de- fore existing between them becomes that be- Tulsa’s Greenwood District, was known as faulted on this promissory note insofar as her tween employer and hired laborer.’’ ‘‘Black Wall Street,’’ and was the most pros- citizens of color are concerned. Instead of Juneteenth was first celebrated in the Texas perous African American community in the honoring this sacred obligation, America has state capital in 1867 under the direction of the United States. given the Negro people a bad check, a check Freedmen’s Bureau. The Greenwood community with a popu- which has come back marked ‘insufficient Juneteenth remains the oldest known cele- lation of over 10,000 Black people had stores funds.’ But we refuse to believe that the bank bration of slavery’s demise, commemorating that sold luxury items, 21 restaurants, 30 gro- of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe freedom while acknowledging the sacrifices cery stores, a hospital, a savings and loan that there are insufficient funds in the great and contributions made by courageous African bank, a post office, three hotels, jewelry and vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we Americans towards making our great nation clothing stores, two movie theaters, a library, have come to cash this check—a check that the more conscious and accepting country that pool halls, a bus and cab service, a nationally will give us upon demand the riches of free- it has become. recognized school system, six private air- dom and the security of justice.’’ As the nation prepares to celebrate July 4th, planes, and two black newspapers. Madam Speaker, H.R. 40, legislation I have our national day of independence, it is a time But on May 31st of that year, the 35 city introduced, continues this proud legacy of de- to reflect on the accomplishments of our na- blocks of Greenwood went up in flames, at manding reparative justice and accountability tion and its people. least 300 Black persons were murdered and for injuries inflicted. I want to thank the Members of the House more than 800 were injured; it is estimated H.R. 40, which establishes a national com- for their bipartisan support of this annual that not less than 9,000 were left homeless mission to examine slavery and discrimination Juneteenth Resolution, which has 214 cospon- and destitute. in the colonies and the United States from sors, of which 202 are original sponsors. The message of the Tulsa Race Massacre 1619 to the present and recommend appro- General Granger’s reading of General Order was clear to Black America: ‘‘Stay in your priate remedies. No. 3 ended chattel slavery, a form of per- place. Do not attempt to accumulate and be- Among other requirements, the commission petual servitude that held generations of Afri- queath wealth or own property. Remember shall identify (1) the role of federal and state cans in bondage in the United States for two- your history in America is as chattel property.’’ governments in supporting the institution of hundred and fortyeight years and opened a Madam Speaker, were they still alive, the slavery; (2) forms of discrimination in the pub- new chapter in American history. domestic terrorists of the mob in Greenwood lic and private sectors against freed slaves Recognizing the importance of this date, would see their evil reenacted—and then fol- and their descendants; and (3) lingering nega- former slaves coined the word ‘‘Juneteenth’’ to lowed by a similar attempt to cover-up it and tive effects of slavery on living African-Ameri- mark the occasion with a celebration the first foster collective amnesia—a century later in cans and society. of which occurred in the Texas state capital in the siege and desecration of the hallowed The goal of the historical investigations H.R. 1867 under the direction of the Freedmen’s halls of the U.S. Capitol, the ’Citadel of De- 40 mandates is to bring American society to a Bureau. mocracy’. new reckoning with how our past affects the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K14JN7.035 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE June 14, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2735 current conditions of African Americans and to Press Statement TABLE 1.—STATES THAT COMMEMORATE OR OBSERVE make America a better place by helping the CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE INTRO- JUNETEENTH—Continued truly disadvantaged. DUCES H.R. 1320 THE BIPARTISAN JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY Year of Rec- Consequently, the reparations movement State ognition Citation does not focus on payments to individuals, but ACT—CURRENTLY HAS 159 SPONSORS IN THE to remedies that can be created in as many HOUSE Iowa ...... 2002 Iowa Code § 1C.14 (2002). Kansas ...... 2007 S. Res. 1860, 82nd Leg., Reg. Sess. (Kan. forms necessary to equitably address the As the Chair of the House Judiciary Com- mittee Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism 2007) many kinds of injuries sustained from chattel Kentucky ...... 2005 Ky. Rev. Stat. § 2.147 (LexisNexis 2005) and Homeland Security, I am committed to Louisiana ...... 2003 La. Stat. Ann. § 1:58:2 (2003) slavery and its continuing vestiges. affording members of this committee to un- Maine ...... 2011 Me. Stat. tit. 1, § 150–H (2011) To merely focus on finance is an empty Maryland ...... 2014 Md. Code Ann., Gen. Prov. § 7–411 cover the facts and shine light into darkness (LexisNexis 2014) gesture and betrays a lack of understanding of to reveal the threats posed by ‘The Rise of Massachusetts 2007 Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 6, § 15BBBBB (2007) the depth of the unaddressed moral issues Domestic Terrorism in America.’ On Janu- Michigan ...... 2005 Mich. Comp. Laws § 435.361 (2005) Minnesota ...... 1996 Minn. Stat. § 10.55 (1996) that continue to haunt this nation. ary 6, 2021, the nation and the world wit- Mississippi ..... 2010 S. Con. Res. 605, 2010 Leg., Reg. Sess. While it might be convenient to assume that nessed the damage caused by divisions acer- (Miss. 2010) we can address the current divisive racial and bated by lies and hate.’’ Missouri ...... 2003 Mo. Rev. Stat. § 9.161 (2003) WASHINGTON, DC—‘‘Today I re-introduced Montana ...... 2017 Mont. Code Ann. § 1–1–231 (2017) political climate in our nation through race Nebraska ...... 2009 Leg.Res. 75, 101st Leg., Reg. Sess. (Neb. in the House of Representatives the bipar- 2009) neutral means, experience shows that we tisan Juneteenth National Independence Day Nevada ...... 2011 Nev. Rev. Stat. § 236.033 (2011) have not escaped our history. Act, H.R. 1320, with 102 co-sponsors. The New Hampshire 2019 N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 14:13–z (LexisNexis Though the Civil Rights Movement chal- 2019) House re-introduction coincides with the re- New Jersey ...... 2004 N.J. Rev. Stat. § 36:2–80 (2004) lenged many of the most racist practices and introduction of a Senate companion bill by New Mexico .... 2006 N.M. Stat. Ann. § 12–5–14 (2006) structures that subjugated the African Amer- Senators Markey, Smith, and Booker. New York ...... 2004 N.Y. Exec. Law § 168–a(3) (LexisNexis 2004) ican community, it was not followed by a com- Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, North Carolina 2007 2007 N.C. Sess. Laws 450 mitment to truth and reconciliation. legislation when enacted would make Ohio ...... 2006 Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 5.2234 (LexisNexis Juneteenth a federal holiday. ‘‘Juneteenth,’’ 2006) For that reason, the legacy of racial inequal- Oklahoma ...... 1994 Okla. Stat. tit. 25, § 82.4 (1994) ity has persisted, and left the nation vulnerable is observed on June 19, and commemorates Oregon ...... 2001 S.J. Res. 31, 71st Leg. Assemb. (Or. 2001) Pennsylvania .. 2001 H. Res. 236, 185st Gen. Assemb. Reg. to a range of problems that continue to yield the end of slavery in the United States and is also known as ‘‘Emancipation Day,’’ ‘‘Ju- Sess. (Pa. 2011) division, racial disparities, and injustice. Rhode Island .. 2012 S.B. 2262, 2011–2012 Leg. Sess. (R.I. bilee Day,’’ and ‘‘Juneteenth Independence 2011) a By passing H.R. 40, Congress can start a Day.’’ South Carolina 2008 S.C. Code Ann. § 53–3–85 (2008) movement toward the national reckoning we ‘‘On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Tennessee ...... 2007 Tenn. Code Ann. § 15–2–113 (2007) Texas ...... 1980 Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 662.003 need to bridge racial divides. Major General Gordon Granger issued Gen- (LexisNexis 1999) b Reparations are ultimately about respect eral Order No. 3, which announced that, in Utah ...... 2016 Utah Code Ann. § 63G–1–401(1)(g) accordance with the Emancipation Procla- (LexisNexis 2016) and reconciliation—and the hope that one day, Vermont ...... 2007 Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 375 (2007) all Americans can walk together toward a mation, ‘‘all slaves are free. Juneteenth is Virginia ...... 2007 H. Res. 56, 2007 Sess. (Va. 2007) currently recognized by 47 states and the Washington ..... 2007 Wash. Rev. Code § 1.16.050(7)(1) (2007) more just future. West Virginia .. 2008 H. Res. 19, 78th Leg., 2d Sess. (W. Va. Official slavery ended with the Civil War and District of Columbia as an official state holi- day or observance. In 1980, Texas was the 2008) ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Wisconsin ...... 2009 Wis. Stat. § 995.20 (2009) first state to recognize Juneteenth as a paid Wyoming ...... 2003 Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 8–4–107 (2003) But unofficial slavery was continued with the state holiday.’’ new institution of share-crop farming, a crimi- Source: Table compiled by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). ‘‘Juneteenth honors the end of the years of Notes: This table includes the first instance of a state’s recognition of nal justice system that would press convicts suffering that African Americans endured Juneteenth or the first legislation that established Juneteenth as a state into work once done by slaves, and labor poli- under slavery and celebrates the legacy of holiday. It excludes legislation adopted by states after the initial observation year. For example, Kansas adopted multiple resolutions, such as S. Res. cies that dictated income for work done based perseverance that has become the hallmark 1866 (2007), S. Res. 1888 (2009), S. Res. 1865 (2011 ), and S. Res. 1754 upon skin color. of the African American experience in the (2015), subsequent to the original commemoration. And, of course, all of this was reinforced by struggle for equality. These values are Bolded legislation citations denote that the legislation established shared by millions of Americans who over Juneteenth as a state holiday. This includes days of observance and does the systematic disenfranchisement of black not necessarily mean that they are legal holidays. Non-bolded legislation ci- generations have held fast to the promise of tations are commemorations or recognitions of the day’s significance. Americans, the ‘‘discrete and insular minority’’ this nation while struggling fore basic States without links do not have publicly available versions of the bill or excluded from ‘‘those political processes ordi- human rights.’’ resolution online. Copies can be found on Lexis Advanced or requested from CRS. narily to be relied upon to protect’’ them, to ‘‘Juneteenth celebrates African American a. S. B. 169, 2013–2014 Leg. Sess. (R.I. 2013) establishing the recogni- quote Chief Justice Hughes’ famous Footnote freedom while encouraging selfdevelopment tion of Juneteenth annually. and respect for all cultures. But it must al- b. H.B. 1016, 66th Reg. Sess. (Tex. 1980). 4 in United States v. Carolene Products Com- c. H.J. Res. 5074A, 2006 Spec. Sess. (Va. 2006) commending celebrations. pany, 304 U.S. 144 (1938). ways remain a reminder to us all that lib- These are just some of the many reasons erty and freedom are the precious birthright In recent years, the Senate has passed an- that the history of the United States is inter- of all Americans which must be jealously nual resolutions recognizing June 19 as guarded and preserved for future genera- Juneteenth Independence Day twined with the history of enslaved Africans in tions. As it takes on a more national and the Americas. even global perspective, the events of 1865 in S. Res. 253 (116th Cong.) ‘‘There is blood and there are tears, but Texas are not forgotten, for all our roots tie S. Res. 547 (115th Cong.) there is also redemption and reconciliation. back to this fertile soil from which a na- S. Res. 214 (115th Cong.) But to get there, we must have the complete tional day of pride is growing. This is why we S. Res. 500 (114th Cong.) truth and lay our history bare. It is the light must establish the Juneteenth Independence that sheds the way to the more perfect union Day, as a national holiday. And today we Similar resolutions have been introduced in the House of Representatives all Americans want. also pay special tribute to Opal Lee, the ‘‘The Commission created and empowered Grandmother of Juneteenth!’’ H. Res. 450 (116th Cong.) by H.R. 40 is a necessary first step in that ef- H. Res. 948 (115th Cong.) TABLE 1.—STATES THAT COMMEMORATE OR OBSERVE fort to get to truth and reconciliation about the H. Res. 386 (115th Cong.) JUNETEENTH ’Original Sin of American Slavery’ that is nec- H. Res. 787 (114th Cong.) essary to light the way to the beloved commu- Year of Rec- SAMPLE CONGRESSIONAL SPEECHES AND State ognition Citation nity we all seek.’’ RECOGNITIONS So, Madam Speaker, this is where we are. Alabama ...... 2011 2011 Ala. Adv. Legis. Serv. 398 In recent years, a number of National (LexisNexis) Members of Congress often make floor Juneteenth Organizations have arisen to take Alaska ...... 2001 Alaska Stat. § 44.12.090 (2001) statements, issue press releases, or enter Ex- Arizona ...... 2016 Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 1–315 (Lexis Nexis their place alongside older organizations—all tensions of Remarks into the Congressional 2016) Record to recognize federal holidays and ob- with the mission to promote and cultivate Arkansas ...... 2005 Ark. Code Ann. § 1–5–114 (2005) California ...... 2003 Cal. Gov’t Code § 6719 (Deering 2003) servances. The following are some recent ex- knowledge and appreciation of African Amer- Colorado ...... 2004 H.J. Res. 04–1027, 64th Gen. Assemb., amples that may be of assistance in pre- ican history and culture. 2nd Reg. Sess. (Co. 2004) Connecticut .... 2003 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10–29a(a)(48) (2003) paring such statements: Juneteenth celebrates African American Delaware ...... 2000 Del. Code Ann. tit. 1, § 604 (2000) Representative Antonio Delgado, ‘‘Recog- freedom while encouraging self-development District of Co- 2003 Res. 160, 15th, Counsel, 2003 D.C. lumbia. nizing Juneteenth,’’ Extensions of Remarks, and respect for all cultures . Florida ...... 1991 Fla. Stat. § 683.21 (1991) Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 165 But it must always remain a reminder to us Georgia ...... 2011 S. Res. 164, 151st Gen. Assemb., Reg. (June 19, 2019), p. E769. Sess (Ga. 1991) all that liberty and freedom are precious birth- Idaho ...... 2001 S. Con. Res. 101, 56th, Leg., Reg. Sess. Senators Bill Nelson and Cory Booker, rights of all Americans, which must be jeal- (Idaho 2001) ‘‘Juneteenth Independence Day,’’ remarks in Illinois ...... 2003 5 Ill. Comp. Stat. 490/63 (2003) ously guarded and preserved for future gen- Indiana ...... 2010 H. Con. Res. 38, 116st Gen. Assemb., 2d the Senate, Congressional Record, daily edi- erations. Reg. Sess. (Ind. 2010) tion, vol. 164 (June 19, 2018), pp. S4032–S4033.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:00 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A14JN7.028 H14JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE H2736 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 14, 2021 Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, ‘‘Com- ing our commitment to the work that remains. pacts that ESA listing decisions have memorating Juneteenth,’’ remarks in the We can do this by remembering who we are, had on local communities and econo- House of Representatives, Congressional where we came from, and rejoicing now in the mies; and some of the legislative re- Record, daily edition, vol. 162 (June 19, 2018), forms needed to finally bring the ESA pp. H5274-H5275. freedom and liberties that we share—and by Representative Brian Babin, ‘‘Celebrating never taking them for granted. into the 21st century. Juneteenth 2017,’’ Extensions of Remarks, f Over the past few years, the Trump administration made great progress by Congressional Record, daily edition vol. 163 FAILURE OF THE ENDANGERED (June 15, 2017), p. E828. finalizing several updates to the ESA Senator Harry Reid, ‘‘Celebrating SPECIES ACT to modernize this bedrock law and to Juneteenth,’’ remarks in the Senate, Con- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under improve our ability to protect endan- gressional Record, daily edition, vol. 162 the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- gered and threatened species and cele- (June 16, 2016), p. S4258. uary 4, 2021, the gentleman from Wash- brate our recovery successes. Representative Jeb Hensarling, ‘‘Hen- ington (Mr. NEWHOUSE) is recognized The Trump administration created a sarling Commemorates Juneteenth,’’ press transparent process for designating release, June 19, 2015. for 60 minutes as the designee of the Representative Julia Brownley, ‘‘Recog- minority leader. critical habitat for listed species, and nizing Ventura County’s 24th Annual GENERAL LEAVE finalized a commonsense definition Juneteenth Celebration,’’ Extensions of Re- Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, that a critical habitat must indeed be marks, Congressional Record, daily edition, before I begin, I ask unanimous con- critical to the species at hand. vol. 160 (June 19, 2014), p. E1023. sent that all Members may have 5 leg- Who would have thought? They streamlined and modernized the PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATIONS AND REMARKS islative days in which to revise and ex- process for consultation between gov- One of the many uses of a presidential tend their remarks and include extra- ernment agencies to determine the proclamation is to ceremoniously honor a neous materials on the topic of my scope of listing impacts, including re- group or call attention to certain issues or Special Order. events. Some proclamations and remarks quiring the consideration of the eco- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there commemorating Juneteenth from the Com- nomic impact a listing could have on objection to the request of the gen- pilation of Presidential Documents include local economics. the following: tleman from Washington? Lastly, they finalized a rule that re- Statement of the Observance of There was no objection. wards State and landowners for suc- Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, Juneteenth—President Donald Trump, June cessful recovery actions by loosening 19, 2019 nearly 50 years ago, President Nixon mandated regulations on species man- Statement on the Observance of signed the Endangered Species Act into Juneteenth—President Barack Obama, June agement as the species begin to recover law, which was designed to do two and are down-listed from endangered to 19, 2016 things: Number 1, prevent species from Message on the Observance of threatened. Juneteenth—President George W. Bush, June going extinct; and Number 2, promote Unfortunately, earlier this month, 19, 2008 their recovery back to health and the Biden administration announced Remarks at a Southwest Voter Registra- healthy populations. plans to rescind or reverse these im- tion Education Project Reception in Hous- Since then, hundreds of plants and provements. This is exactly the wrong ton, Texas—President William J. Clinton, animals have joined the endangered or direction we should be heading, Madam June 19, 2000 threatened species list, spurring con- Speaker. Other presidential proclamations are avail- servation and recovery efforts at all able through https://www.govinfo.gov/, a por- As we have seen over the past four levels of government. decades, the ESA has become a weapon tal for free public access to official publica- While this landmark species protec- tions from all three branches of the govern- used by extreme environmentalists and ment, maintained by the Government Pub- tion law is well-intentioned and has ac- serial litigators to slow or halt critical lishing Office (GPO). complished many good things, it has economic development and land man- HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES become an endless source of conflict agement projects in rural communities and, unfortunately, many rightly con- Numerous resources provide information throughout the United States. From on the history and culture of the holiday. sider it a dismal failure. preventing the restoration of our for- Some of these include the following: The Endangered Species Act hasn’t ests, to creating overburdensome road- Smithsonian, ‘‘Juneteenth: Our Other seen meaningful reform since 1973. And blocks for domestic energy develop- Independence Day.’’ This blog post includes since then, less than 3 percent of spe- ment, the ESA, in its current form, pictures of Major General George Granger cies have recovered and been delisted. simply does more harm than good. and the house from which he read General The Congressional Western Caucus Oftentimes, these ESA regulations Order Number 3. has long advocated for improvements negatively impact the very people we Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, to modernize the ESA and make it need as conservation partners. Through for over 150 years, June 19th, commonly more effective for our species and more land use restrictions, reduced property known as ‘‘Juneteenth Independence Day,’’ transparent for the American people. values, and costly permitting require- has been celebrated as a source of inspiration My colleagues in the caucus have advo- ments, unilateral and far-sweeping list- and encouragement for generations of African cated on behalf of the rural commu- ing decisions remove incentive for Americans in Texas and across the nation. nities that we represent who are se- these local partners to come to the News of the end of slavery did not reach the verely impacted by the ESA listing de- table. In effect, it makes enemies out frontiers of the United States until months after cisions and who, in many cases, are of the people who are most critical to the conclusion of the Civil War, and more than working in collaboration with private our efforts instead of treating these two and a half years after President Abraham landowners, community groups, Tribes, species like the assets they are to our Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and local governments to promote suc- local lands. We must empower our on January 1, 1863. It was not until June 19, cessful species recovery and land con- local, State, and Tribal partners to col- 1865 that Union soldiers, led by Major General servation. laborate on comprehensive recovery Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas And we have advocated to adminis- and conservation efforts, and we know with news of freedom for the enslaved. tration after administration the need this to be true. The Roman philosopher Cicero once to follow the science and fulfill the More stringent regulations will not quoted, ‘‘history is the witness that testifies to congressional intent of the law, which lead to more successful species recov- the passing of time; it illumines reality, vital- is to promote recovery of these species ery. In rural America, we value the re- izes memory, provides guidance in daily life and then remove them from the endan- sponsible management of plants, ani- and brings us tidings of antiquity.’’ In honor of gered species list. mals, and native species, but we have the spirit, of the trials and tribulations of our That is why I am so proud to host to do so in a way that doesn’t destroy ancestors, and the legacy they have left, we this Special Order tonight, where you our economies, decimate our lands or must never forget our history. And we can do will hear from several of my Western leave our communities vulnerable to that by joining together to observe Juneteenth Caucus colleagues about successful, lo- natural disasters. and celebrate the progress we have made cally led recovery efforts taking place We need flexible tools, not one-size- thereafter, while also recognizing and reaffirm- across the country; the different im- fits-all regulations from the Federal

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