Bill Text: TX HR135 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 3rd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the annual Juneteenth celebration and parade in Grand Prairie.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-10-26 - Reported enrolled [HR135 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR135-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 135 |
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WHEREAS, Residents of Grand Prairie gather each year to | ||
recognize an important milestone in this nation's history at 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, A much-anticipated event, the Juneteenth | ||
celebration in Grand Prairie offers a fitting opportunity to honor | ||
the myriad achievements and immeasurable fortitude of the African | ||
American community in the Lone Star State and beyond; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate the annual | ||
Grand Prairie Juneteenth celebration and parade and extend to all | ||
those involved in organizing the event sincere appreciation for | ||
their efforts. | ||
Turner of Tarrant | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 135 was adopted by the House on | ||
October 18, 2021, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||