Tina Smith: “I thank my colleague from Texas. I appreciate his leadership on this. Juneteenth is among the oldest celebrations of…”

“I thank my colleague from Texas. I appreciate his leadership on this. Juneteenth is among the oldest celebrations of emancipation and is certainly worthy of a Federal holiday. I want to read an op-ed from the Washington Post, written by the musician Usher, which I think eloquently sums up why it is not only important to honor this day as a Federal holiday, but it is also important to recognize it as a part of American history. I ask unanimous consent to introduce the Washington Post op-ed in full into the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [June 18, 2020] Usher: Why It's So Important That Juneteenth Become a National Holiday (By Usher Raymond IV) Usher Raymond IV is a musician, actor and entrepreneur. At the 2015 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, I wore a T-shirt that caught a lot of people's attention. The design was simple. The words ``July Fourth'' were crossed out and under them, one word was written: ``Juneteenth.'' I wore the shirt because, for many years, I celebrated the Fourth of July without a true understanding that the date of independence for our people, black people, is actually June 19, 1865: the day that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached some of the last people in America still held in bondage. I have no issue with celebrating America's independence on July 4.…”