SR 5

26LC 112 4274
     Senate Resolution 5EX
     By: Senators Jackson of the 41st, Jones II of the 22nd, Sims of the 12th, Howard of the 35th,
     Rahman of the 5th and others
                                A RESOLUTION
1 Commemorating Juneteenth; recognizing the history and meaning of the Juneteenth holiday;
2 and honoring the struggle for freedom, equality, and full citizenship for Black Americans;
3 and for other purposes.
4 WHEREAS, observed each year on June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865
5 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally received word that they were free, more
6 than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation; and
7 WHEREAS, Juneteenth represents both a day of liberation and a solemn reminder that
8 freedom in the United States has too often been delayed, denied, and resisted for Black
9 Americans; and
10 WHEREAS, although the Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people in
11 Confederate states to be free as of January 1, 1863, that promise could not be fully realized
12 until Union forces advanced, the Civil War ended, and the institution of slavery was finally
13 destroyed; and
14 WHEREAS, Juneteenth therefore marks not merely an announcement but the long and
15 difficult struggle to make freedom real for those who had been held in bondage; and
                                    S. R. 5EX
                                       -1-
26LC 112 4274
16 WHEREAS, the holiday reminds this state and nation that emancipation was not the end of
17 the fight for justice but the beginning of a continuing struggle against racial violence,
18 segregation, disenfranchisement, economic exploitation, and unequal treatment under law;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, after emancipation, formerly enslaved people and their descendants built
21 families, churches, schools, businesses, civic organizations, and movements for justice
22 despite the brutal systems of Black Codes, convict leasing, Jim Crow, voter suppression, and
23 racial terror; and
24 WHEREAS, Juneteenth honors the resilience, faith, labor, culture, and leadership of Black
25 Americans who helped build this nation and who have continually pushed the United States
26 toward the promises contained in its founding ideals; and
27 WHEREAS, Juneteenth also calls upon all people to remember the truth of slavery and its
28 aftermath, to teach that history honestly, and to recognize that democracy is strengthened
29 when the stories of those who endured injustice are neither erased nor minimized; and
30 WHEREAS, the recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday reflects the importance of public
31 memory, civic education, and collective recommitment to freedom, equality, and human
32 dignity; and
33 WHEREAS, the meaning of Juneteenth requires not only celebration but also continued
34 action to protect voting rights, expand opportunity, confront discrimination, and ensure that
35 every person can participate fully in the political, economic, and civic life of this state and
36 nation; and
                                     S. R. 5EX
                                        -2-
26LC 112 4274
37 WHEREAS, renewing our dedication to protecting and defending the political power of
38 Black Georgians and Black communities includes not eroding the political power of those
39 communities for the purpose of partisan gerrymandering.
40 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
41 commemorate Juneteenth and recognize June 19, 2026, as a day of remembrance, reflection,
42 celebration, and renewed commitment to justice.
43 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body honor the generations of Black
44 Americans whose courage, labor, leadership, and sacrifice helped transform this nation and
45 expand the meaning of freedom.
46 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body affirm the importance of
47 teaching and preserving the full history of slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, Jim Crow,
48 the civil rights movement, and the ongoing struggle for equality.
49 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body commit to advancing the
50 promise of Juneteenth by protecting civil rights, defending voting rights, opposing racial
51 discrimination, protecting the political power of Black Georgians and Black communities,
52 and working to ensure liberty and justice for all.
53 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
54 to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the
55 press.
                                    S. R. 5EX
                                       -3-