BILL ANALYSIS Ó
HR 55
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Date of Hearing: June 23, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
Richard S. Gordon, Chair
HR
55 (Thurmond) - As Introduced June 17, 2016
SUBJECT: Juneteenth Day celebrations
SUMMARY: Encourages all Californians to join together in
celebrating Juneteenth. Specifically, this resolution makes the
following legislative findings:
1)Texas, as part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the
Emancipation Proclamation. On June 18, 1965, Union troops
arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state
and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. Former slaves in
Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations.
The following day, June 19th, became known as "Juneteenth," a
name derived from a portmanteau of the words "June" and
"nineteenth." Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the
following year.
2)For former slaves, the Juneteenth celebration was a time for
reassuring each other, praying, and gathering remaining family
members together. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered
in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and
descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on
this date.
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3)On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state
holiday in Texas through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African
American former member of the Texas House of Representatives.
That bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation
celebration granted official state recognition.
Representative Edwards has since actively sought to spread the
observance of Juneteenth all across America.
4)Juneteenth education and celebrations declined in America in
the early part of the 20th century, but the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1950s and 1960s saw a resurgence of interest
in Juneteenth, along with renewed community celebrations of
the day.
5)In 1994, the era of the "Modern Juneteenth Movement" began
when a group of Juneteenth leaders from across the country
gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana, to work for greater
national recognition of Juneteenth.
6)Today, Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and
emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week,
and in some areas, a month marked with celebrations, guest
speakers, picnics, and family gatherings. It is a time for
reflection and rejoicing and a time for assessment,
self-improvement, and planning for the future.
FISCAL EFFECT: None
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
HR 55
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800