PRINTER'S NO. 930
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
170
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY WATERS, KINSEY, HELM, COHEN, SCHREIBER, FRANKEL,
READSHAW, McNEILL, HENNESSEY, BISHOP, LONGIETTI, THOMAS,
J. HARRIS, McGINNIS, C. PARKER, CUTLER, MILLARD, STURLA,
KIRKLAND, WHEELAND, SABATINA, D. COSTA, FARINA, ROSS,
DONATUCCI, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, MAHONEY, GIBBONS AND BRADFORD,
MARCH 13, 2015
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MARCH 13, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Designating the third Saturday in June as "Juneteenth National
Freedom Day" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Originating in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865,
when slaves in that state learned that they had been freed,
Juneteenth National Freedom Day is celebrated in at least 37
states; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth National Freedom Day is the oldest
African-American holiday observance in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth National Freedom Day commemorates the
survival instinct of Africans who endured a transatlantic
journey, known as the Middle Passage, on slave ships from their
homeland to this country; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 11.5 million Africans survived the
harsh voyage to slave markets in the New World during the late
17th century and the slave population in the American colonies
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grew quickly; and
WHEREAS, Today, Juneteenth National Freedom Day commemorates
African-American freedom and emphasizes education and
achievement; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
third Saturday in June as "Juneteenth National Freedom Day" in
Pennsylvania.
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