NATIONAL JUNETEENTH OBSERVANCE FOUNDATION (NJOF)
NATIONAL JUNETEENTH CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (NJCLC)
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JUNETEENTH JAZZ PRESENTERS (NAJJP)
NATIONAL JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman
P.O. Box 269
Belzoni, Mississippi 39038
662-247-3364 662-247-4767 Fax
www.NationalJuneteenth.com www.Juneteenth.us
October 14, 2010
U.S. Senate
U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3121
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-224-3121
Dear Members of Congress:
We cordially invite you to attend the annual Congressional Juneteenth
Reception during the week of the
WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance, June 15-17, 2011. The reception will most likely be scheduled
for Thursday, June 16, 2011, beginning at 12:00noon. The host of the reception is Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL),
Chairman of our
National Juneteenth Congressional Committee.
Juneteenth, or the
"19th of June", recognizes June 19, 1865, in Galveston, TX, when Union General
Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwest, the last major geographic vestige of slavery in the United
States following the end of the Civil War. This occurred more than two and a half years after the
Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President
Abraham Lincoln. Upon the reading of General Order #3 by
General Granger, the former slaves celebrated jubilantly, establishing America's second Independence Day Celebration and the
oldest African-American holiday observance.
Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 36 states and the District of
Columbia. Many more states will be passing Juneteenth holiday observance legislation in 2011. The
U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives first officially recognized Juneteenth in 1997, during the 105th Congress,
and continues to pass similar legislation every year.
We would like for Juneteenth to be established as a national holiday observance similar to
Flag Day or
Patriot Day in 2011. We have requested that President Barack
Obama, who has been a great supporter of Juneteenth as an Illinois State Senator and U.S. Senator, issue a
Presidential Proclamation to establish
Juneteenth Independence Day as a
National Day of Observance.
It is our understanding that the U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives must then vote to suspend their
rules against the official recognition of a holiday or commemorative day in order to introduce legislation to officially
recognize Juneteenth Independence Day as a
National Day of Observance in support of any
Presidential Proclamation.
Again, this is our understanding that this was the same procedure that was done to officially recognize
Patriot Day as a national holiday observance.
We are again working with members of the U.S. Senate to support the passage
of a Senate Apology For Slavery with concurring legislation in the
U.S. House of Representatives. It was wonderful to learn of the
U.S. House of Representatives Apology For Slavery and Jim Crow sponsored by
Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) in 2008 and similiar legislation that was passed in the
U.S. Senate
sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) in 2009. We hope to have the legislation
passed during the week of Juneteenth 2011 with both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.
Senate concurring on legislation.
Our first
National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement was the result of the second historic
introduction of Congressional Apology For Slavery legislation by former Congressman Tony Hall (D-OH) on
Juneteenth, the
“19th of June”, 2000. As the leader of the
"Modern Juneteenth Movement" in America, I was honored to work closely with Congressman Hall on the apology as an important step toward racial
healing and reconciliation in America. Since that time, several states have passed apology for slavery legislation including Virginia, Alabama,
North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida.
We now observe the annual
World Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement on the "3rd Saturday In August",
August 20, 2011, in Richmond, VA. This commemorates the date the first slave ship, the
White Lion, landed in Virginia at
Old Point Comfort, today's Fort Monroe,
from the shores of West Africa. This occurred on the "latter end of August, 1619", with the arrival of twenty
Angolans, America's first
Middle Passage.
America needs healing from the scars of enslavement. The annual observance of Juneteenth in America affords the
country a tremendous opportunity to constructively reflect on our legacy of enslavement and move forward as a unified nation.
As a leader in our country, your public participation in Juneteenth will be instrumental in bringing all Americans together in a spirit of unity and reconciliation.
Our first National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of
Enslavement was the result of the second historic introduction of
Congressional Apology For Slavery legislation by former Congressman Tony Hall (D-OH) on Juneteenth, the
"19th of June", 2000. As the leader of the
"Modern Juneteenth Movement" in America, I was
honored to work closely with Congressman Hall on the apology as an important step toward racial healing and reconciliation
in America. Since that time, several states have passed apology for slavery legislation including Virginia, Alabama, North
Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida.
We hope that you will support our efforts to establish Juneteenth
Independence Day as a National Day of Observance.
We also invite you to attend the National Juneteenth Prayer
Breakfast and the National Juneteenth Black Holocaust “Maafa”
Memorial Service which is part of the annual National Day of
Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement, held annually on the “3rd Friday in June”,
this year on June 17, 2011. The prayer breakfast begins at 8:30am, at the
National Press Club, 529 14th Street, N.W., 14th Floor and the worship service at
11:30am, at Lincoln Park United Methodist Church,
Rev. Dr. Diana Dixon-Proctor, Pastor, 1301 North
Carolina Avenue, N.E., in Washington, DC.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. We look forward to your continued participation and support.
Sincerely,
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
enclosures
Informational Flyer – 2011 National Day of Reconciliation and
Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement
Calendar of Events – 2011 WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance
Informational Flyer – 2011 World Day of Reconciliation and
Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement
Flyer – "June Is Black Music Month!" - CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH JAZZ -
"Preserving Our African American Jazz Legacy!"
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