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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 29, 2019 02:22 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Stephen Kinsey and Rep. Dan K. Williams, Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Observing June 19, 2019, as “Juneteenth Independence Day” in Pennsylvania |
| Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865 officially signaled the end of the Civil War, but the conflict continued throughout the country for several weeks thereafter. News of General Lee’s surrender reached soldiers in Texas by late April, where Confederate troops continued to resist before surrendering to Union soldiers on June 2, 1865. At Galveston Island on June 19, 1865 Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3, which proclaimed that all slaves are free people, and are entitled to absolute equality in personal rights. Juneteenth Independence Day commemorates this announcement. Resolutions have been introduced over the decades to recognize the importance of Juneteenth. Our legislation will provide for the designation of June 19, 2019, as Juneteenth Independence Day to remember and honor the resilience, courage, and determination of the enslaved, their descendants, and all Americans who embody Dr. King’s quote: “None are free until all are free!” Please join us as a sponsor of this resolution. |
Introduced as HR390