Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman so much for her incredible leadership on this issue and so many others. We appreciate all that she does, and we appreciate her steadfast and steady hand of guidance and leadership for the people of America. Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to address this body. On Freedom's Eve, January 1, 1863, enslaved and free African Americans gathered across the country, awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. When the clock struck midnight, their prayers were answered, as it was declared that all enslaved people in Confederate States were legally free. While the 13th Amendment did end slavery under the law, not all who were enslaved were immediately freed. It took more than 2 years for the freedom to reach everyone when the Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to announce that more than 250,000 people within the State were free. It was this day, June 19, 1865, that we mark as the true day of freedom from the tyranny and oppression of slavery and the first steps into the Reconstruction era. We now honor this day, June 19, as Juneteenth. While Juneteenth is a historic day that has been widely known and celebrated by African Americans for over a century, it is clear that many Americans still are unaware of the significance of this historic date.…”