CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY

On 2026-06-11, Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7) delivered a floor speech titled "CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY" in the House.

CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)] [House] [Page H4102] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY (Ms. PRESSLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Juneteenth, marking 161 years since the full enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. The Juneteenth flag was created by Boston's own Ben Haith and insists that the story of our Nation is incomplete without the ongoing work of liberation. Red, white, and blue to affirm that Black Americans are Americans. An arc to symbolize the horizon of a future where America lives up to its ideals, and a starburst in the middle representing the new era of freedom. As we commemorate this sacred day, let us honor our ancestors not just through reflection but through action, organizing, and restorative and reparative policies that bring us closer to freedom, the freedom they dreamt of and fought so hard for. Let everyone of all backgrounds and in all regions of this country commit to fighting for an America that oppresses no one. From Galveston to Boston, our futures are tied. Happy Juneteenth. ____________________