H.J.R. 20

1

JOINT RESOLUTION RESOLVING AND
2 RECOGNIZING JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE
3 DAY IN UTAH
4 2006 GENERAL SESSION
5 STATE OF UTAH
6 Chief Sponsor: Duane E. Bourdeaux
7 Senate Sponsor: ____________
8
9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This joint resolution of the Legislature designates June 17, 2006 as Juneteenth
12 Independence Day in Utah.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 . designates June 17, 2006 as Juneteenth Independence Day in Utah to commemorate
16 the proclamation of freedom for all slaves in the South in 1865.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
19
20 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
21 WHEREAS, America's Independence Day movement, initiated by the Declaration of
22 Independence and the "4th of July" in 1776, did not include the enslaved descendants of
23 African-Americans, nor were they recognized as fully human beings;
24 WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States in
25 1861, and as President Lincoln believed and stated that the paramount object of the Civil War
26 was to save the Union rather than save or destroy slavery;
27 WHEREAS, President Lincoln had also stated his wish was that all men everywhere

28 could be free, thus adding to a growing anticipation by slaves that their ultimate liberation was
29 at hand;
30 WHEREAS, in 1862, the first clear signs that the end of slavery was imminent came
31 when laws abolishing slavery in the territories of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and New
32 Mexico were passed;
33 WHEREAS, in September of that same year, President Lincoln warned 11 rebellious
34 Confederate states that if they did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863, he would declare
35 their slaves forever free via the celebrated Emancipation Proclamation;
36 WHEREAS, freedom from slavery was initiated by the enforcement of the
37 Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and formally announced by Union General
38 Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas on the "19th of June," 1865, through the reading of
39 General Order No. 3, to the last group of slaves in bondage, creating America's second
40 Independence Day Celebration and the oldest African-American holiday observance, the "19th
41 of June," Juneteenth Independence Day;
42 WHEREAS, spontaneous celebrations erupted throughout the country when
43 African-Americans learned of their freedom, which have continued, and demonstrate the
44 significance and status of Americans of African descent;
45 WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates the day freedom was proclaimed to all slaves in
46 the South by Union General Granger, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, more than two
47 and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln;
48 WHEREAS, in 1997, the 105th Congress of the United States passed Senate Joint
49 Resolution 11 and House Joint Resolution 56, officially recognizing Juneteenth Independence
50 Day in America;
51 WHEREAS, for the first time in over 130 years of annual celebration, Juneteenth has
52 finally been "officially recognized" as Juneteenth Independence Day in America by the
53 President and Congress of the United States;
54 WHEREAS, Utah has celebrated the rich history and heritage of African-Americans
55 through the Annual Juneteenth Day Celebration for over 130 years;
56 WHEREAS, the Project Success Coalition has kept Juneteenth Independence Day alive
57 by sponsoring a statewide celebration for 16 years that embraces the rich heritage and
58 contributions of Blacks in Utah and the world, and serves on the Board of the National

59 Juneteenth Observance Foundation;
60 WHEREAS, Americans of all colors, creeds, cultures, religions, and countries of origin
61 share in a common love of and respect for "freedom," as well as a determination to protect their
62 right to freedom through democratic institutions, by which the "tenets of freedom" are
63 guaranteed and protected;
64 WHEREAS, the "19th of June" or Juneteenth Independence Day, along with the "4th of
65 July," completes the "cycle of freedom" for America's Independence Day observances; and
66 WHEREAS, "Until All are Free, None are Free" is an oft repeated maxim that can be
67 used to highlight the significance of the end of the era of slavery in the United States:
68 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
69 designates the third Saturday in June, June 17, 2006, as Juneteenth Independence Day in Utah.
70 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Project
71 Success Coalition and the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-26-06 11:20 AM

Based on a limited legal review, this legislation has not been determined to have a high
probability of being held unconstitutional.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel