Sheila Jackson Lee: “I, too, rise to commemorate Juneteenth, as a Texan and one who acknowledges that it was my State, 153 years ago, June…”

“I, too, rise to commemorate Juneteenth, as a Texan and one who acknowledges that it was my State, 153 years ago, June 19, 1865, where General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and announced the freedom of the last American slaves, belatedly freeing 250,000 slaves in Texas nearly 2\1/2\ years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Having spent 2 days at the border, I know that there are 2,000 children who have been separated from their families who are seeking freedom. I rise today in honor of Juneteenth because it was and is a living symbol of freedom for people who did not have it. Today, I introduced H. Res. 948, the annual congressional resolution commemorating Juneteenth Independence Day, which is cosponsored by more than 50 of my colleagues. Juneteenth remains the oldest known celebration of slavery's demise. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that we need to be able to honor the issue of freedom, so I conclude by saying that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, ``Freedom is never free,'' and African American labor leader A. Phillip Randolph often said, ``Freedom is never given; it is won.'' We must win the freedom for these children, 2,000, who have been separated from their families. Mr.…”