HOUSE MEMORIAL 2

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first special session, 2020

INTRODUCED BY

Sheryl Williams Stapleton

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING THE THIRD SATURDAY OF JUNE EVERY YEAR AS "JUNETEENTH FREEDOM DAY".

 

     WHEREAS, as the state celebrates Juneteenth, let us call to action our national, state and local officials to create sweeping reforms within government regarding police and public safety in communities of color; and

     WHEREAS, current protests and uprisings represent the continued quest for equality for Black Americans in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, protests for racial justice continue the spirit of Juneteenth, making it a fitting holiday for unprecedented times; and

     WHEREAS, the unconscionable examples of racism witnessed over the past weeks and months come as communities of color have been hit hardest by the coronavirus disease 2019 and catastrophic job losses; and

     WHEREAS, protestors are marching for justice in unprecedented numbers and giving voice to the grief and anger that generations of Americans have suffered at the hands of the criminal justice system; and

     WHEREAS, with the celebration of Juneteenth in 2020, young and old, black and white and family and friends have joined together to say "enough"; and

     WHEREAS, the thirteenth amendment to the constitution of the United States abolished slavery throughout the United States and its territories, and the significance of June 19, 1865 is that it is the day on which that message of freedom and abolition reached the western states; and

     WHEREAS, Juneteenth promotes recognition of the importance of African Americans as American citizens and New Mexico residents;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the third Saturday of June every year be recognized and celebrated as "Juneteenth Freedom Day"; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all residents of New Mexico honor Black Americans' continued quest for equality and the traditions that celebrate freedom.

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