Senate ResolutionNo. 78


Introduced by Senator Huff

June 6, 2016


Senate Resolution No. 78—Relative to the 151st anniversary of Juneteenth.

P1    1WHEREAS, June 19, 2016, marks the 151st 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
9country stacked in the bottom of slave ships in a month-long
10journey across the Atlantic Ocean known as the “Middle Passage”;
11and

12WHEREAS, Events in the history of the United States that led
13to the start of the Civil War in 1861 centered on sectional
14differences between the North and the South that were based on
15the economic and social divergence caused by the existence of
16slavery; and

17WHEREAS, In 1862, the first clear signs that the end of slavery
18was imminent appeared when laws abolishing slavery were adopted
19in the territories of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and New
20Mexico; and

21WHEREAS, In September 1862, President Lincoln issued the
22celebrated Emancipation Proclamation, warning the rebellious
23Confederate states that he would declare their slaves “forever free”
24if those states did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863; and

P2    1WHEREAS, Enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation
2occurred only in Confederate states that were under Union Army
3control; and

4WHEREAS, On January 31, 1865, Congress passed the
5Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing
6slavery throughout the United States and its territories; and

7WHEREAS, Spontaneous celebration erupted throughout the
8country when African Americans learned of their freedom; and

9WHEREAS, Juneteenth, or June 19, 1865, is considered the
10date upon which the last slaves in America were freed when
11General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and issued
12General Order No. 3, almost two and one-half years after President
13Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation; and

14WHEREAS, Observance of Juneteenth, a reminder of
15emancipation, spread from Texas to the neighboring states of
16Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as Alabama, Florida,
17and California where many African American Texans migrated;
18and

19WHEREAS, Juneteenth symbolizes freedom, celebrates the
20abolishment of slavery, and reminds all Americans of the
21significant contributions of African Americans to our society; and

22WHEREAS, A growing number of American and African
23American cultural institutions have sponsored Juneteenth cultural
24events designed to make all Americans aware of this celebration;
25and

26WHEREAS, Juneteenth celebrations are a tribute to those
27African Americans who fought so long and worked so hard to
28make the dream of equality a reality; now, therefore, be it

29Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That June 19,
302016, is hereby recognized, as the 151st anniversary of Juneteenth;
31and be it further

32Resolved, That the Senate urges the people of California to join
33in celebrating Juneteenth as a day to honor and reflect on the
34significant role that African Americans have played in the history
35of the United States and how they have enriched society through
36their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality; and
37be it further

P3    1Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
2this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.



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