U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today celebrated the passage in the House of Representatives of S. 475, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act to finally make June 19, Juneteenth, a federal holiday. Rep. Pascrell cosponsors the companion legislation H.R. 1320 in the House of Representatives.
“A nation can only achieve greatness if it looks at its past with unswerving honesty. A nation that cannot face its negative past imprisons itself,” said Rep. Pascrell. “The last few years have proven the devastating price for refusing to acknowledge our history. So much of our nation’s division today comes from the unhealed wound of slavery and its aftermath. Twenty years ago I said the following on the floor of the House of Representatives: ‘Juneteenth serves as a historical milestone reminding all people of the triumph of the human spirit over the cruelty of slavery.’ Today is a recognition of our past as we take another step toward reckoning with our history. We have worked toward this goal for decades. And we finally did it. This is a beautiful day for America.”
You can find Rep. Pascrell’s full remarks from June 19, 2001 on the House floor to recognize the history of Juneteenth here.
Original source can be found here.
