,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #fbj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #ae1 #bjbj,mr4 ,cornyn 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,blunt1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,burr1 ,mr4 ,carper1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,cassidy1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,crapo1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mrs4 ,fischer1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,hawley1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 ,mr4 ,lee1 ,mrs4 ,loeffler1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,ms4 ,mc,sally1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,ms4 ,murkowski1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,paul1 ,mr4 ,perdue1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,mr4 ,portman1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,mr4 ,risch1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,south ,carolina1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,young1 ,mr4 ,grassley1 and ,mr4 ,durbin7 submitted the following resolution2 which was considered and agreed to ,,resolution ,designating ,june #ai1 #bjbj1 as ,juneteenth ,independence ,day in recognition of ,june #ai1 #ahfe1 the date on which news of the end of slavery reached the slaves in the ,southwestern ,states4 ,whereas news of the end of slavery did not reach the frontier areas of the ,united ,states1 in particular the ,state of ,texas and the other ,southwestern ,states1 until months after the conclusion of the ,civil ,war1 more than #b years after ,president ,abraham ,lincoln issued the ,emancipation ,proclamation on ,january #a1 #ahfc2 ,whereas1 on ,june #ai1 #ahfe1 ,union soldiers1 led by ,major ,general ,gordon ,granger1 arrived in ,galveston1 ,texas1 with news that the ,civil ,war had ended and the enslaved were free2 ,whereas ,african ,americans who had been slaves in the ,southwest celebrated ,june #ai1 commonly known as ,juneteenth ,independence ,day1 as inspiration and encouragement for future generations2 ,whereas ,african ,americans from the ,southwest have continued the tradition of observing ,juneteenth ,independence ,day for more than #aej years2 ,whereas ,juneteenth ,independence ,day began as a holiday in the ,state of ,texas and is now celebrated in #df ,states and the ,district of ,columbia as a special day of observance in recognition of the emancipation of all slaves in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas ,juneteenth ,independence ,day celebrations have been held to honor ,african-,american freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures2 ,whereas the faith and strength of character demonstrated by former slaves and the descendants of former slaves remain an example for all people of the ,united ,states1 regardless of background1 religion1 or race2 ,whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the ratification of the #acth ,amendment to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states in ,december #ahfe2 and ,whereas1 over the course of its history1 the ,united ,states has grown into a symbol of democracy and freedom around the world3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates ,june #ai1 #bjbj1 as ,juneteenth ,independence ,day2 7#b7 recognizes the historical significance of ,juneteenth ,independence ,day to the ,united ,states2 7#c7 supports the continued nationwide celebration of ,juneteenth ,independence ,day to provide an opportunity for the people of the ,united ,states to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the ,united ,states2 and 7#d7 recognizes that the observance of the end of slavery is part of the history and heritage of the ,united ,states4