Terri Sewell honors Juneteenth on House Floor

Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) honored the Juneteenth holiday during a speech made recently on the floor of the House of Representatives. 

During her speech Sewell spoke of the holiday's significance, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. 

See below for her statement: 

“Today, we gather in the spirit of remembrance, resilience, and recommitment to celebrate a day of delayed liberation but undeniable triumph. On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the last enslaved Black Americans were finally free.

“Freedom did not come easily. It came slowly, unevenly, and at a painful cost. But it came, and with it, generations of Black Americans began the long, unfinished journey towards full equality through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, the Voting Rights Movement, and even now, in our time.

“Juneteenth is not just about history; it's about truth telling. It is a reminder that freedom delayed is freedom fought for, and that liberation means more than just the breaking of physical chains. It demands justice in our laws, equity in our institutions, dignity in our labor, and respect in our schools, our neighborhoods, and in our nation.

“I’m wishing everyone in Alabama’s 7th Congressional District a happy and meaningful Juneteenth celebration!”