Press Releases

On Juneteenth, a date commemorating when the last forcibly enslaved Black Americans were freed on June 19th in 1865, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) launched a new webpage detailing more than 25 federal bills she supports to address systemic racism in the United States. Pingree’s new Racial Justice webpage outlines legislation she is co-sponsoring in the 116th Congress to address police brutality toward Black Americans, enduring racial health disparities, environmental justice, voting rights, fair labor practices, and more.

“Thousands of Mainers have been protesting for change in their communities and they deserve to know what we are doing at the federal level to address racial inequity. With this website, I hope to make our positions as clear and accessible as possible,” said Pingree of her new Racial Justice website. “I’ve signed onto more than 25 pieces of legislation to help address the well documented problem of police brutality in Black communities and to reform policies that contribute to systemic racial inequity and oppression.” 

The new Pingree page can be found at pingree.house.gov/racialjustice and will be updated when the Congresswoman co-sponsors new legislation.

Pingree also released a video on social media announcing her co-sponsorship of The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act which would finally make Juneteenth a federal holiday. June 19th or Juneteenth — also known as Freedom Day — is when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln in 1863, enslaved people in Texas didn’t know they were freed until Major General Gordon Granger announced it in Galveston on June 19th, 1865.  

“Our country has never fully acknowledged the legacy of slavery. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Dominique “Rem'Mie” Fells, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Botham Jean, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and too many others are reminders that we are long overdue for a deep reckoning with systemic racism in the United States. Making Juneteenth a national holiday is an important step in our recognition of the bondage Black Americans endured for hundreds of years,” said Pingree of her support for making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

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