On the recordJune 16, 2021
I thank our wonderful colleague, Congresswoman Jackson Lee, for this amazing, incredible effort, and for me to be here, and to actually witness this is an honor. The passage of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act is long overdue recognition for generations of pain and suffering of our Black communities. This comes at an important time, Madam Speaker. Across the country, we are seeing efforts to eliminate the teaching of our country's history, like the injustices of slavery, from being taught in our own schools. This national holiday will serve as a powerful reminder that we cannot run from our past. That we must educate future generations of all of our history no matter how many want to delete it or to whitewash it. It is important to note, Madam Speaker, that this is just a minor step, far from really truly addressing the ills of our country. We must go further. Colleagues, we must go further. We must pass the For the People Act, to H.R. 40, which is the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. We must do more. We need to transform the lives of our Black neighbors in a bold and meaningful way, and it will truly save lives. It will truly address why we need to take a moment and address this in a way that becomes a national holiday. We must, again, take action to actually deliver for our Black neighbors. {time} 1830
