Political Quotes

“on Monday, these Chambers will be empty, but our hearts will be full because we will be joining the American people in commemorating a historic moment in our Nation's story-- Juneteenth, the formal end of slavery in the United States. One year ago today, we stood together, across party lines, to pass this legislation to memorialize this important day as a Federal holiday. Though we celebrate this anniversary today, on Monday, communities across our Nation have been marking Juneteenth for more than 150 years. The celebration of Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger traveled to Galveston, TX, with the announcement that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was 2\1/2\ years after the date of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Either the news of Lincoln's order had not reached many, including those in Texas, or local officials refused to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. Decades later, I introduced, along with my partners in service, Senators Cory Booker and Tina Smith and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act to honor the day that these Americans took their first steps into freedom and finally made Juneteenth a Federal holiday. On June 17, 2021, I was honored to stand with Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Smith, Representative Jackson Lee, Senator Cornyn, Senator Warnock, and Ms.…”