Rep. Adriano Espaillat Issues Statement in Recognition of Juneteenth

June 18, 2021

Espaillat Applauds Passage of Legislation Marking Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement in observance of the celebration of Juneteenth:

“On this day in 1865, Major Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas to fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation, delivering the news of freedom to those still living in bondage,” said Rep. Espaillat. “Reading aloud General Order 3, the remainder of the nearly 250,000 still enslaved people in Texas were set free - over two years after the initial issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The order was met with great celebration by the freed men, women, and children who would forever commemorate this day as Juneteenth, celebrating true and full emancipation.

“Today, we commemorate Emancipation Day as a day of remembrance to honor the millions of lives lost to the horrors of slavery in this country – an abhorrent history that will forever remain a stain on the fabric of American democracy. On Juneteenth, we reflect on this history and reaffirm our pledge to continue in our fight for absolute equality and the protection of civil rights for all.

“I was proud to vote with my House colleagues earlier this week to pass legislation to establish June 19^th as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a U.S. holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. I applaud Representative Sheila Jackson Lee,Senator Edward Markey, and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for their leadership in shepherding this resolution to passage. This is this a monumental first step in righting the wrongs of the United States, and I look forward to continuing to champion critical civil rights legislation through this chamber — forthe people.”

In observation of the Juneteenth National Independence Day tomorrow, June 18, 2021, the New York and Washington, DC offices of Rep. Adriano Espaillat will be closed.

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov

Issues:Civil Rights and Equality