Dear AFGE Activist,
AFGE is proud to join in the labor movement's recognition of the anniversary of when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom from the bondage of chattel slavery, the final state to grant enslaved peoples the freedom conferred on them by President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
AFGE is encouraged by congressional action to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey in the Senate and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the House, has received overwhelming support and will be signed by President Biden this afternoon. Once signed by the president, June 19 will be federally known as Juneteenth National Independence Day and become the 12th legal public holiday and the first new one created since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983 by then-President Ronald Reagan.
While we celebrate the federal recognition of Juneteenth, we know that there is still work to be done. Last year's protests for Black lives marked a turning point in the long journey of dignity and equity for Black Americans. Consistent and sustained action from movement leaders and activists has fueled new action by our elected leaders. We know that action must continue when it comes to issues concerning education, housing, medical treatment and access, the criminal justice system, and much more.
In recognition of this historic event we also want to share with you an excerpt from an NBC News article that details the events leading to June 19, 1865.
Some of the men, particularly the colored Union troops out of New York and Illinois, were appalled.
It had been 2½ years since President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, freeing every man, woman and child enslaved in the rebel states. And it had been more than two months since Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee had surrendered, ending the nation's bloody four-year Civil War. But as the roughly 2,000 soldiers assigned to accompany Union Gen. Gordon Granger came ashore on Galveston Island, Texas, in mid-June 1865, the truth could not be missed. There were still enslaved people in Galveston.
A group of colored soldiers approached Granger and said it plain: You will do something about this, or we will.
"That is the story of what we now refer to as Juneteenth, 1865," said Deborah Evans, vice chair and director of communications for the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. The foundation has worked for more than 25 years to improve school curriculums and encourage states, as well as the federal government, to formally recognize the holiday. "That's the version that includes us, that puts us at the center, not the sidelines."
We share this excerpt because we recognize the need to center the experiences and voices of those who are most harmed by oppressive forces. The above quote by Deborah Evans, vice chair and director of communications for the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, is an important reminder to move beyond sanitized accounts of our nation's history.
This Juneteenth we encourage you to learn more about Black people and the labor movement by following the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. You can learn more about the organization via their website and check out a few of their Juneteenth events on their Facebook page. You can also learn more about Juneteenth from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
In Solidarity,
Everett Kelley
AFGE National President
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