WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), and a group of Senate colleagues introduced a resolution recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day.
“[N]ews of the end of slavery did not reach the frontier areas of the United States, in particular the State of Texas and the other Southwestern states, until months after the conclusion of the Civil War, more than 2.5 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863,” stated the resolution.
Juneteenth Independence Day began as a holiday in the State of Texas and is now celebrated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia as a special day of observance in recognition of the Emancipation of all slaves in the United States,” continued the resolution.
The resolution:
- Recognizes the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day to the United States;
- Supports the continued nationwide celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day to provide an opportunity for the people of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the United States; and
- Recognizes that the observance of the end of slavery is part of the history and heritage of the United States.
Cassidy and Cornyn were joined by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Katie Britt (R-AL), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Jim Justice (R-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angus King (I-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in introducing the resolution
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