PRINTER'S NO. 894
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
138
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY STREET, SCHWANK, HUGHES, KEARNEY, KANE, COLLETT,
SANTARSIERO, COMITTA, PHILLIPS-HILL, FONTANA, ARGALL, MUTH,
SAVAL, COSTA, SCAVELLO AND HAYWOOD, JUNE 14, 2021
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, JUNE 14, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Observing June 19, 2021, 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 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
grew quickly; and
WHEREAS, "Juneteenth National Freedom Day" further
commemorates the impact of slavery, the abolitionist movement
and African-American emancipation in the United States and has
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become a traditional celebration of independence, human rights
and African-American culture in many communities; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the Senate observe June 19, 2021, as
"Juneteenth National Freedom Day" in Pennsylvania.
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