ACR 87, as introduced, Ridley-Thomas. The 150th anniversary of Juneteenth.
This measure would recognize June 19, 2015, as the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth and would urge the people of California to join in celebrating Juneteenth as a day to honor and reflect on the significant role that African Americans have played in the history of the United States and how they have enriched society through their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, June 19, 2015, marks the 150th anniversary of
2Juneteenth; and
3WHEREAS, Juneteenth, also known as “Juneteenth
4Independence Day,” “Emancipation Day,” “Emancipation
5Celebration,” and “Freedom Day,” is the oldest African American
6holiday observance in the United States; and
7WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates the strong survival
8instinct of African Americans who were first brought to this
P2 1country stacked in the bottom of slave ships in a month-long
2journey across the Atlantic Ocean known as the “Middle Passage”;
3and
4WHEREAS, Events in the history of the United States that led
5to the start of the Civil War in 1861 centered on sectional
6differences between the North and the South that were based on
7the economic and social divergence caused by the existence of
8slavery; and
9WHEREAS, In 1862, the first clear signs that the end of slavery
10was imminent appeared when laws abolishing slavery were adopted
11in the territories of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and New
12Mexico; and
13WHEREAS, In September 1862, President Lincoln issued the
14celebrated Emancipation Proclamation, warning the rebellious
15Confederate states that he would declare their slaves “forever free”
16if those states did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863; and
17WHEREAS, Enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation
18occurred only in Confederate states that were under Union Army
19control; and
20WHEREAS, On January 31, 1865, Congress passed the
21Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,
22abolishing slavery throughout the United States and its territories;
23and
24WHEREAS, Spontaneous celebration erupted throughout the
25country when African Americans learned of their freedom; and
26WHEREAS, Juneteenth, or June 19, 1865, is considered the
27date when the last slaves in America were freed when General
28Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and issued General
29Order No. 3, almost two and one-half years after President Lincoln
30issued the Emancipation Proclamation; and
31WHEREAS, Observance of Juneteenth, a reminder of
32emancipation, spread from Texas to the neighboring states of
33Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as Alabama, Florida,
34and California, where many African American Texans migrated;
35and
36WHEREAS, Juneteenth symbolizes freedom, celebrates the
37abolishment of slavery, and reminds all Americans of the
38significant contributions of African Americans to our society; and
39WHEREAS, A growing number of American and African
40American cultural institutions have sponsored Juneteenth cultural
P3 1events designed to make all Americans aware of this celebration;
2and
3WHEREAS, Juneteenth celebrations are a tribute to those
4African Americans who fought so long and worked so hard to
5make the dream of equality a reality; now, therefore, be it
6Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
7thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
8hereby recognizes June 19, 2015, as the 150th anniversary of
9Juneteenth; and be it further
10Resolved, That the Legislature urges the people of California to
11join in celebrating Juneteenth as a day to honor and reflect on the
12significant role that African Americans have played in the history
13of the United States and how they have enriched society through
14their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality; and
15be it further
16Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
17of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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