Political Quotes

“I am not sure how to approach Juneteenth. It is a date fraught with poignancy and symbolism, poignancy because it is not the date on which the slaves were emancipated. That was January 1, 1863. It was simply the date that the good news finally made its way into Texas; some say by conspiracy, some say just because they did not get there and somebody was waylaid. In any case, it was a cause for great celebration. If one learned 22 years late that slaves had been emancipated by the Emancipation Proclamation, that is to say, by executive order, one had every reason to celebrate. We are not here this afternoon to celebrate. This date is fraught with symbolism as well because the news of the civil rights laws has not reached all who need to hear it in America. I speak as a former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where I had hands-on experience, up close, to see what enforcement takes, and as a Member of Congress to see what we still have to do now.”