MI SR0155

Commemorates June 19, 2022, as Juneteenth, marking the date in 1865 when Texas became the last state to recognize enslaved persons as free, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Acknowledges Michigan's historical role as a major hub of the Underground Railroad and home to white abolitionists including U.S. Representative and Senator Jacob Merritt Howard and others who freed thousands of enslaved people.

Recognizes the transatlantic slave trade and slavery in America from 1619 through 1865, which generated profits for maritime, agricultural, insurance, defense, tobacco, sugar, and cotton industries.

Calls on citizens of Michigan to educate themselves and future generations about the history of slavery and its continuing legacy, including ongoing challenges with voting rights, education, access to capital, and police brutality.