@ 6 PM, Wednesday
June 12, 2019
HB619 passed the House Chambers on May 6th 191-0, declaring
Juneteenth a state holiday in Pennsylvania. HB619 was sent to the PA State Senate
on May 17th 2019; whereas HB619 passed out of the PA Senate State
Government Committee, on June 6, 2019. HB619 is now headed to the PA Senate
Floor for a vote and passage on the Senate floor on June 17th.
Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Wolf awaits HB619, for signage into law on
06-19-2019, Juneteenth Day; in the 400th commemoration year of 1619.
Ron
Brown, Northeast Regional Juneteenth Director, Founder and
Chairperson of
Pennsylvania Juneteenth Coalition, will give a presentation on
Juneteenth’s National and Philadelphia origin.
Philadelphia’s Juneteenth
origin began on June 19th 1863.
Philadelphia Freedom March ended in Texas with the freeing of the last slaves
in Galveston Texas on June 19th 1865. Ron Brown a native
Philadelphian founded Germantown Juneteenth Coalition (GJC) in 1995. GJC hosted
one of PA’s first Juneteenth Celebrations, in Germantown PA in 1997. GJC 1997
Juneteenth celebration has evolved to a Coalition of Juneteenth Celebrations,
taking place in counties throughout the State of Pennsylvania.
Ron
Brown will present on Juneteenth’s PA HB619, its origin, its status, and how
its passage on June 19, 2019 will establish Juneteenth as a state legal holiday in
Pennsylvania; history in the making in the 400th Commemoration of
1619.
Ron
Brown will present on how Pennsylvania’s Juneteenth Celebration also commemorates June 19, 1863, the
date on which the PA Abolitionist Society and the Union League of Philadelphia
members gathered for a meeting to enforce President Abraham Lincoln
Emancipation.
PA's first Abolitionist Society and the Union League received the assistance of Octavius Catto,
Frederick Douglas, and Harriet Tubman to precipitate the enlistment of what
would become 11 Regiments of 10, 940 African USCTs in Camp William Penn (CWP), the
first and largest federal training camp of USCT’s enlisted in the Civil War. CWP’s
6th, 8th, 22nd, 41st, 43rd,
and 127th Infantries fought and defeated the Confederate Army at the Siege of
Petersburg, VA. The six USCT Infantries were re-organized to form the 25th
Corps, which defeated and precipitated General Robert E.
Lee's surrender to Lt. Gen. Ulysses
S. Grant, and the Union Army.
USCT
of the 22nd Infantry of the 25th Corps, was assigned, and
led President Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Procession on April
25th, 1865. The 22nd
Infantry was then assigned to, and did capture John Wilkes Booth and Lincoln's assassins
on the Eastern Shores of Maryland.
The 22nd Infantry rejoined the 25th
Corps and was mustered to Texas. The 25th
Corps was assigned to surround and guard General Gordon Granger as he read
General Order # 3 to enslaved Africans outside of the Osterman Building, the
Union Headquarters, in Galveston Texas on June 19, 1865.
General Order # 3's reading
led to the eruption of a spontaneous celebration in the streets of Galveston
Texas, and the assembled Africans named the day, Juneteenth, which evolved from the
combination of June, the month in which the celebration occurred and teenth, June 13th to June 19th
(June-teenth), the length of time of 25th Corps Freedom March
through Texas.
Juneteenth represents
the date slavery finally came to an end in Galveston Texas, the last slave in the last
slave state in the United States. Whereas 45 States, the District of Columbia,
and other countries have designated “Juneteenth NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY” as a special day of observance in recognition of the emancipation
of all slaves in the United States.
For additional information on Juneteenth: NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY contact:
Ron Brown, Founder/Chairperson NE Region PAJC
Ronald Brown 267.584.4747
