SEN. KITCHEN RESOLUTION HONORS ‘JUNETEENTH NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY’

            HARRISBURG, June 16 — The Pennsylvania Senate today unanimously voted in favor of state Sen. Shirley Kitchen’s resolution recognizing June 19, 2009 as “Juneteenth National Freedom Day” in Pennsylvania.

            Juneteenth National Freedom Day commemorates the anniversary of Juneteenth Day, in which slaves in the American Southwest learned that they had been set free. It is the oldest African-American holiday observance in the United States, originating in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.

            The holiday also commemorates the survival of 11.5 million Africans, who endured the trans-Atlantic journey — known as the Middle Passage — on slave ships from their homeland to this country, starting in the 17^th century.

            “It’s important that we continue to honor this event, which reminds us all of the impact of slavery, the abolition movement and African-American emancipation in the United States,” Kitchen said. “It’s also a reminder that we Americans are so fortunate to live freely in this country. We are free to express ourselves and prosper, no matter what our background is. We often take these freedoms for granted, but there are many countries whose citizens do not have these rights.

            “Although Juneteenth National Freedom Day is traditionally an African-American holiday, we can all celebrate its significance,” she said.

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