88R33026 CW-D
 
  By: Neave Criado H.R. No. 2416
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Residents of Mesquite are gathering together on
  June 18, 2023, for the city's fourth annual Juneteenth celebration;
  and
         WHEREAS, The oldest known observance commemorating the end of
  slavery in the United States, Juneteenth specifically celebrates
  the emancipation of African American slaves in Texas; and
         WHEREAS, On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger
  arrived in Galveston with federal troops to provide military
  support for Reconstruction efforts and to enforce President Abraham
  Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; that same day, General
  Granger read publicly his General Order No. 3, which proclaimed
  that all slaves were undeniably free from that date onward and that
  there would be "an absolute equality of rights and rights of
  property between former masters and slaves"; and
         WHEREAS, Held on June 19 of each year, the commemoration of
  this momentous event became known as "Juneteenth," and celebrations
  grew over the decades to encompass recitations of the Emancipation
  Proclamation, readings by notable people, and such festive
  activities as singing, parades, rodeos, street fairs, and cookouts;
  the celebration in Mesquite, which is being organized by Mesquite
  Tri-East NAACP, will include vendors, food and drink, and
  children's activities; in addition, the event will feature a live
  performance by Fat Daddy I Got the Blues; and
         WHEREAS, More than 150 years after emancipation was
  proclaimed in Texas, Juneteenth continues to inspire gatherings
  that honor the myriad achievements and immeasurable fortitude of
  the African American community in the Lone Star State; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby commemorate the 2023 Mesquite NAACP Juneteenth
  Festival and extend to all those in attendance sincere best wishes
  for a meaningful and memorable occasion.