Page 8 - Making Juneteenth News Today

Her. i had the honor of meeting her more than a year ago. she told me she loved me and i believed it. i wanted to believe it. miss opal, you are incredible. a daughter of texas. grandmother of the movement to make june teenth a federal holiday. miss opal, it is -- you wont believe it. she is 49 years old. or 94. you are incredible woman, miss opal. you are. as a child growing up in texas, she and her family would celebrate juneteenth. and juneteenth, 1939, when she was 12 years old the white mob...

Grandchildren arent here because this is a really, really, really important moment in our history. by making juneteenth a federal holiday, all americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history and celebrate progress and grapple with the distance weve come but the distance we have to travel. i said a few weeks ago marking 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacre, great nations dont ignore their most painful moments. great nations dont ignore their most painful moments. they ...

Me for point of personal privilege. as walking down, i regret my grandchildren are not here. this is a really, really important moment in our history. by making juneteenth a federal holiday, all americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history and celebrate progress and grapple with the distance we have come, but the distance we have to travel. and i said a few weeks ago, marking the 100th anniversary of the tulsa race massacre, great nations dont ignore their most painful mom...

But such hate never stopped her anymore than stopped the vast majority of you im looking at from this podium. over the course of decades, shes made it her mission to see that this day came. almost a singular mission. shes walked for miles and miles, literally and figuratively to bring attention to juneteenth. to make this day possible. i ask once again, we all stand and give her a warm welcome. [applause] still say in the senate and i said for 36 years, if you excuse

That voted against juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, and you think back to the early 80s, and those that voted against your fathers birthday from becoming a federal holiday, what is your message to these members, what they should know about this vote? >> well, i guess i will mix my fathers world in this moment, because those in congress and in the senate have got to find a way to overcome the divide in themselves, you know. my father said one of the great tragedies of life is that people se...

[ applause ] >> i had the honor of meeting her in nevada more than a year ago. she told me she loved me, and i believed it. i wanted to believe it. opal, youre incredible. a daughter of texas. grandmother of the movement to make juneteenth a federal holiday. ms. opal, you wont believe it, shes 49 years old. or 94 years old. you are an incredible woman. you really are. as a child growing up in texas, she and her family would celebrate juneteenth. juneteenth, 1939 when she was 12 years old, a whit...

Majority of you that im looking at from this podium. over the course of decades, shes made it her mission to see that this day came. it was almost a singular mission. shes walked for miles and miles literally and figuratively to bring attention to juneteenth. to make this day possible. i ask once again that we all stand and give her a warm welcome to the white house. [ applause ] as they still say in the senate and i said for 36 years, i was walking down i regret that my

Built by enslaved people. we are footsteps away from where president abraham lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation, and we are here to witness president joe biden establish juneteenth as a national holiday. we have come far and we have far to go but today is a day of celebration. it is not only a day of pride, it is also a day for us to reaffirm and rededicate ourselves to action. and with that, i say happy juneteenth, everybody. with that, i introduce the president of the united states, ...

Presence of opal lee. as my mother would say, god love her. [applause] have the honor of meeting her a year ago. she told me she loved me. i believed it. i wanted to believe it. opal, youre incredible. a daughter of texas. grandmother of the movement to make juneteenth a federal holiday. mrs. opal, you wont believe it, shes 49 years old. [laughter] our 94 years old. you are an incredible woman, miss opal. you are. as a child growing up in texas, she and her family would celebrate juneteenth. jun...

>> thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you. thank you, madame vice president. 156 years ago. 156 years. june 19th, 1865. john, thanks for being here. major general of the union army arivered in galveston, texas, to enforce the emancipation proclamation and free the last ebb slaved americans in texas from bondage. ill repeat some of what was said. came to be a day that reflects what the psalm tells us. weeping may endure for a day but joy comes in the morning. juneteenth marks both a long, har...