HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5074 Offered June 6, 2006 Commending the First Rappahannock Regional Juneteenth Celebration. ---------- Patrons-- Howell, W.J.; Senator: Chichester ----------

WHEREAS, the Moncure Conway Foundation, the Center for African American Genealogical Research, Inc., and the Fredericksburg/Stafford Park Authority will host the First Rappahannock Regional Juneteenth Celebration to be held June 15-18, 2006; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger led Union soldiers into Galveston, Texas, bringing news that the Civil War had ended and that the Emancipation Proclamation declared all slaves to be free; and

WHEREAS, from its Galveston, Texas, origin in 1865, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, and its observance commemorates the many valuable contributions made by African Americans to our culture and to the vitality, success, and prosperity of our nation; and

WHEREAS, during the Civil War, the Fredericksburg and Rappahannock River area was a gateway to freedom for over ten thousand enslaved people; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth is a celebration, observed by people of all races, nationalities, and religions, of democracy’s sacred tenet of liberty and equality for every citizen; and

WHEREAS, by celebrating Juneteenth, we as a society are sensitized to the hardships and life-altering experiences of others and hopefully made aware of the abundant opportunities to make significant, just, and lasting improvements to society; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and past, present, and future achievements; a time for family gatherings and picnics; an opportunity for self-assessment and improvement; and an acknowledgement of a vitally important period in American history which helped shape our country and continues to influence it today; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend the First Rappahannock Regional Juneteenth Celebration to be held June 15-18, 2006; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to representatives of the First Rappahannock Regional Juneteenth Celebration as an expression of the General Assembly's appreciation of the significance of this celebration and best wishes for a memorable and successful event.