Kay Bailey Hutchison: “on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger reached Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil…”

“on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger reached Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended and that slaves had been emancipated. It was a bittersweet day; the news traveled slowly, reaching Galveston nearly 2\1/2\ years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. But it was a joyous occasion, a triumph of freedom that has been remembered since. In commemoration of that historic day, I am delighted to introduce a Joint Resolution designating June 19 as ``Juneteenth Independence Day,'' a National Day of Observance. It is a day to reflect on history and to celebrate freedom. To remember, in the words of W. E. B. Du Bois, that ``The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.'' This resolution offers recognition of the role that Juneteenth Independence Day has played in African-American culture in Texas and throughout the Southwest. Enshrining Juneteenth in our national consciousness will confer the recognition it merits and serve as inspiration for all Americans. I am proud to be part of this bipartisan joint resolution to commemorate this day that reminds us that in America, we are all blessed to live in freedom. United States law provides for the declaration of selected public observances by the President of the United States as designated by Congress or at the discretion of the President.…”