State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HR0433

 
                                              LRB9209122RHrhA

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Juneteenth is the oldest  known  celebration  of
 3    the ending of slavery; and

 4        WHEREAS, It was on June 19, 1865 that the Union soldiers,
 5    led  by  Major  General  Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston,
 6    Texas with news that the Civil War had  ended  and  that  the
 7    enslaved were now free; and

 8        WHEREAS,    Although    President    Abraham    Lincoln's
 9    Emancipation  Proclamation  was  made  official on January 1,
10    1863, it had little effect in Texas due to the minimal number
11    of Union troops to enforce the executive order; however, with
12    the surrender of General Robert  E.  Lee  in  1865,  and  the
13    arrival  of Major General Granger's regiment, the forces were
14    finally  strong  enough  to  influence   and   overcome   the
15    resistance; and

16        WHEREAS,   The   celebration  of  June  19th  was  coined
17    "Juneteenth"  and   grew   with   more   participation   from
18    descendents   of  slaves;  the  celebration  is  a  time  for
19    reassuring  each  other,  for  praying,  and  for   gathering
20    remaining  family  members; it continues to be highly revered
21    in  Texas,  decades  later,  with  many  former  slaves   and
22    descendants  making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on
23    June 19th; and

24        WHEREAS,  Juneteenth  today  celebrates  African-American
25    freedom while encouraging self-development  and  respect  for
26    all  cultures;  this  celebration  has  continued  to enjoy a
27    growing   and   healthy   interest   from   communities   and
28    organizations across  the  country  seeking  to  promote  and
29    cultivate  knowledge  and  appreciation  of  African-American
30    history and culture; therefore, be it

31        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
 
                            -2-               LRB9209122RHrhA
 1    NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
 2    we designate June 19, 2001 as "Juneteenth Day" in  the  State
 3    of  Illinois  in appreciation of African-American history and
 4    culture.

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