Political Quotes

“Senator Merkley and I wish to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Juneteenth Oregon Celebration in our hometown of Portland, OR. Every year on June 19, people in Portland and across the State of Oregon and the Nation join together to celebrate when, on June 19, 1865, more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were finally declared free more than 2 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and recognition that emancipation was delayed for many enslaved people even after the Civil War was over. This day is among the most important days of commemoration in our Nation. The Juneteenth celebration was brought to Oregon in 1945 by the late and beloved community leader Clara Peoples. She led the first-ever Juneteenth celebration in Oregon at work. When her supervisor told her that if the celebration ran over 15 minutes she would be fired, she announced to her coworkers, ``Hear ye, hear ye. It's Juneteenth. We have 15 minutes to celebrate.'' Thanks to Clara's tireless efforts in the community and her work to create the nonprofit organization Juneteenth OR, the first official citywide celebration of Juneteenth occurred 50 years ago on June 19, 1972--and is today celebrated with a parade and other festivities like delicious food, art and live music. Clara Peoples continued fighting for her community by lobbying at all levels of government to make Juneteenth a recognized holiday on the State and national level.…”