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H8630
2026 -- H 8630
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LC006119
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
RECOGNIZING "JUNETEENTH NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY" ON JUNE 19, 2026
Introduced By:
Representatives Biah, Blazejewski, Kazarian, Chippendale, Hopkins,
Santucci, Handy, Ajello, Furtado, and Kislak
Date Introduced:
June 11, 2026
Referred To:
House read and passed
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WHEREAS, Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, in celebration
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of the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in America. The tradition of marking the end
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of slavery with Emancipation Day celebrations had an earlier beginning in South Carolina on
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January 1, 1863, in recognition of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Even earlier
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celebrations of emancipation date back to when slavery was abolished throughout the British
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Empire on August 1, 1834; and
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WHEREAS, Each year after 1834, on August 1, major emancipation celebrations were
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organized across the West Indies and American cities with free African heritage populations. The
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Rhode Island cities of Providence, Newport and East Providence were early sites for major
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Emancipation Day celebrations and festivals dating back to the 1850s. During the 20th century,
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tens of thousands of people attended Emancipation Day events at Roger Williams Park, Rocky
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Point, and Crescent Park; and
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WHEREAS, Juneteenth is part of a number of emancipation celebrations that date back
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to the early 19th century, and on June 13th, 2023, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed
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legislation, which was signed into law on June 19th, declaring "Juneteenth National Freedom
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Day" to officially be a State Holiday; and
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WHEREAS, Also known as Emancipation Day, Emancipation Celebration, Freedom
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Day, Jun-Jun, and Juneteenth, Juneteenth National Freedom Day commemorates the strong
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survival instinct of African Americans who were first brought to this country stacked in the
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bottom of slave ships in a month-long journey across the Atlantic Ocean known as the Middle
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Passage; and
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WHEREAS, Approximately eleven and a half million Africans survived the voyage to
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the New World, with the number that died likely greater, and those who did survive were
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subjected to whipping, castration, branding, and rape, and were forced to submit to slavery for
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more than two hundred years after their arrival in the United States; and
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WHEREAS, Events in the history of the United States that led to the Civil War of 1861
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centered around sectional differences between the North and South that were based on the
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economic and social divergence caused by the existence of slavery; and
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WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States in 1861,
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and as President, he believed and stated that the paramount object of the Civil War was to save
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the Union rather than to save or destroy slavery; and
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WHEREAS, Lincoln also stated that it was his belief that all men everywhere should be
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free, thus adding to the growing anticipation for slaves that their ultimate liberation was at hand;
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and
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WHEREAS, In 1862, the first clear sign that the end of slavery was imminent came when
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laws abolishing slavery in the territories of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico
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were passed; and
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WHEREAS, In September of that same year, President Lincoln warned that if the eleven
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rebellious Confederate States did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863, he would declare
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their slaves forever free via the celebrated Emancipated Proclamation; and
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WHEREAS, Enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, however, only occurred in
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Confederate States once they were under Union Army control and Congress subsequently passed
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the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution on January 31, 1865, abolishing slavery
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throughout the United States and its territories; and
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WHEREAS, News of this action reached the states at different times, and it was not until
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June 19 of 1865, that the message of freedom reached the slaves in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana,
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Arkansas, and California; and
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WHEREAS, Spontaneous celebrations erupted throughout the country when African-
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Americans learned of their freedom; and
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WHEREAS, Juneteenth National Freedom Day celebrates the abolishment of slavery
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with excitement and great joy and is a reminder to all Americans of the status and importance that
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Americans of African descent hold as American citizens; now, therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
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urges the citizens of the State of Rhode Island to join in recognizing the historical significance of
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Juneteenth Independence Day and the observance of Juneteenth National Freedom Day on June
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19th; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That this House hereby supports the annual celebration of Juneteenth
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National Freedom Day in order to provide an opportunity for the people of the State to learn more
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about our country’s past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped our nation; and
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be it further
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel J. McKee, Governor of
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the State of Rhode Island.
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