Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight with my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus in recognition of national independence, Juneteenth National Independence Day. On June 19, 1865, more than 2 years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, 2,000 Union troops reached Galveston Bay, Texas, with the news of the President's decree. On that day, more than 250,000 Black Americans were officially free. From that day on, the newly freed people of Galveston established Juneteenth as a day to celebrate the long journey to freedom, and our Nation's second Independence Day, when all citizens were finally declared free. To this day, the impact of Juneteenth on our community remains unparalleled. On Juneteenth, we celebrate Black joy, culture, and the unbreakable spirit of our community that has overcome so much across generations. Today, we continue to uplift values of hope, determination, and the preservation of our history and our people. We celebrate and pay homage to our history and those who have gotten us here today, figures like Texas native Opal Lee, known as the Mother of Juneteenth, who campaigned for decades to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday.”