PRINTER'S NO.  145

  

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

  

SENATE BILL

 

No.

175

Session of

2009

  

  

INTRODUCED BY KITCHEN, WASHINGTON, WILLIAMS, O'PAKE, MELLOW, COSTA, HUGHES, GREENLEAF, ORIE, FERLO, BRUBAKER, TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA, STOUT, BOSCOLA, DINNIMAN, RAFFERTY, EARLL, WONDERLING AND VOGEL, FEBRUARY 2, 2009

  

  

REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 2, 2009  

  

  

  

AN ACT

  

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Providing for the designation and holiday observance of June

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19th as "Juneteenth National Freedom Day."

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The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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hereby enacts as follows:

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Section 1.  Short title.

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This act shall be known and may be cited as the Juneteenth

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National Freedom Day Act.

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Section 2.  Legislative findings and declaration.

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The General Assembly hereby finds and declares as follows:

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(1)  Originating in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865,

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when slaves in that state learned that they had been freed,

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"Juneteenth National Freedom Day" is the oldest African-

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American holiday observance in the United States.

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(2)  June 19th of each year is hereby designated as

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"Juneteenth National Freedom Day" in Pennsylvania.

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(3)  "Juneteenth National Freedom Day" commemorates the

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survival instinct of Africans who endured a transatlantic

 


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journey, known as the Middle Passage, on slave ships from

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their homeland to this country.

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(4)  Approximately 11.5 million Africans survived the

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harsh voyage to slave markets in the New World during the

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late 17th century, and the slave population in the American

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colonies grew quickly.

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(5)  "Juneteenth National Freedom Day" further

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commemorates the impact of slavery, the abolition movement

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and African-American emancipation in the United States and

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has become a traditional celebration of independence, human

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rights and African-American culture in many communities.

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Section 3.  Designation.

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June 19th is designated as "Juneteenth National Freedom Day."

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Section 4.  Effective date.

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This act shall take effect immediately.

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