87R30351 CJM-D
By: González of Dallas H.R. No. 1998
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Grand Prairie are gathering together on
June 18 and 19, 2021, for the city's annual Juneteenth Celebration
and Parade; and
WHEREAS, The oldest known observance commemorating the end of
slavery in the United States, Juneteenth specifically celebrates
the emancipation of African American slaves in Texas; and
WHEREAS, On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger
arrived in Galveston with federal troops to provide military
support for Reconstruction efforts and to enforce President Abraham
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; that same day, General
Granger read publicly his General Order No. 3, which proclaimed
that all slaves were undeniably free from that date onward and that
there would be "an absolute equality of rights and rights of
property between former masters and slaves"; and
WHEREAS, Held on June 19 of each year, the commemoration of
this momentous event became known as "Juneteenth," and celebrations
grew over the decades to include recitations of the Emancipation
Proclamation, readings by notable people, and such festive
activities as singing, parades, rodeos, street fairs, and cookouts;
and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth has been observed as an official holiday
in Texas since 1980, when legislation introduced by African
American State Representative Al Edwards during the 1979
legislative session took effect; with the adoption of that bill,
this special day became the first emancipation holiday in the
country to be granted official state recognition; and
WHEREAS, More than 150 years after emancipation was
proclaimed in Texas, Juneteenth continues to inspire gatherings
that honor the myriad achievements and immeasurable fortitude of
the African American community in the Lone Star State; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 2021 Grand Prairie Juneteenth
Celebration and Parade and extend to all those in attendance
sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable event.