Sen. Dodd: Juneteenth A Milestone for Awareness

NAPA – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, issued the following statement today on the inaugural observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day, which commemorates the notification on June 19, 1865 to enslaved African Americans that they had been freed:

“Although slavery had been outlawed by President Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans living in the city of Galveston, Texas were not informed of their freedom until after the Civil War ended in 1865,” Sen. Dodd said. “Today, it is unconscionable to think this happened. And, like a lot of African American history, including the Tulsa Race Massacre a half-century later, it remains largely unrecognized outside the African American community.”

“Juneteenth brings much-needed awareness to the historic struggles faced by African Americans while recommitting our country to addressing systemic racism and the economic hurdles that remain before African Americans today,” Sen. Dodd said. “By officially recognizing Juneteenth, President Biden has taken an important step toward acknowledging the wrongs of the past and achieving the goal of freedom and equality for all.”

Celebrations of Juneteenth, or June 19, date back to 1866, starting with African American church groups, and later spreading into the mainstream. In 1980, Texas became the first state to officially recognize the date. It has since been adopted as a holiday or is in the process of being adopted in 50 states. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed the congressional bill making it a national holiday. It is the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.

To learn more about the history and importance of Juneteenth, visit this website: https://nmaahc.si.edu/events/juneteenth

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Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.