Adams Enters Juneteenth Remarks into the Congressional Record

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) will enter remarks on the passage of legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday into the Congressional record. The legislation passed the Senate on Tuesday, and the House last night. Later today, in advance of the Juneteenth holiday this weekend, Congresswoman Adams will join President Joe Biden and members of the Congressional Black Caucus at the White House for the signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

A video of Rep. Adams' remarks is available here.

Remarks as prepared for the Congressional Record are below:

As one of the original sponsors of Juneteenth legislation in the House, I am proud to stand with my colleagues in voting to make Juneteenth a national holiday.

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, of our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Of emancipation instead of dehumanization. Of a message that made its way from Washington to Texas, freeing women and men upon its sight. It is our history, a reminder of deeds darker than death or night, and a debt unpaid that must still be made right.

On this Juneteenth, I encourage all Americans to reflect on the long walk to freedom, that took Union soldiers from sea to shining sea. Though we've travelled a long way, that walk continues today.

While I am overjoyed to send this legislation to the President's desk and make it the law of the land, the work continues. When Congress made MLK Day a federal holiday in the 1980s, it didn't end the economic injustice that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought against his entire life. In fact, the gap between rich and poor has only widened since then.

So as we celebrate this victory for our history, we must remember that while Juneteenth marked a victory over slavery, it was only the start of our fight for voting rights and equal justice under the law. That fight, that long march to justice and equality and equity will not be over until we have fully protected the right to vote for all Americans, guaranteed equal justice under law, and achieved equitable treatment that repays the debts of past wrongs.

Thank you for joining me in celebrating Juneteenth, and thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it a federal holiday and never gave up the faith. God bless.

Congresswoman Alma Adams represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte) and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, she serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Education & Labor Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. In 2015, she founded the first bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus in Congress.