2013 Assembly Joint Resolution 42
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: recognizing June 19, 2013, as Juneteenth Day.
Whereas, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, proclaiming all individuals enslaved in Confederate territory to be forever free, and ordered the Army and all parts of the executive branch to treat as free all those enslaved; and
Whereas, more than two years later, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, the U.S. Army, led by Major General Gordon Granger, announced the abolition of slavery to those still trapped in darkness, unshackling the last remaining enslaved African Americans from the grip of slavery; and
Whereas, Juneteenth Day is the oldest commemoration of the abolition of slavery throughout the nation, long celebrated in the city of Milwaukee and codified in 2009 by the state of Wisconsin as an official legal holiday; and
Whereas, Juneteenth Day is a time of remembrance, reflection, and celebration across the state and the nation, a day to honor the elimination of slavery and to celebrate the proclamation of freedom; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the legislature of the state of Wisconsin recognizes the nineteenth day of June, 2013, as "Juneteenth Day," expresses reverence to those communities that overcame oppression and hardship to achieve equal civil rights, and honors their contributions to the state of Wisconsin and their fellow citizens.
