Rashida Tlaib Commemorates Juneteenth, Blasts 'Republican Extremists' Who Seek To 'Erase' Black History

In House floor remarks last week, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) commemorated Juneteenth.

Transcript

00:00Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the United States of America and this day

00:05remains deeply meaningful to many of our families in the Michigan 12th Congressional District.

00:10The most beautiful blackest city is in the 12th, the city of Detroit.

00:15It's a celebration of freedom, black resilience and ongoing fight for justice for all.

00:20In our community we remember and honor generations of black Americans who fought for liberation.

00:26As we speak right now, Republican extremists across our country attempting to erase black

00:31history right before our eyes.

00:34We stand with residents in Detroit and throughout the country who refuse to let black history

00:40be erased.

00:41We are committed to uplifting their stories and carrying on the movement for true equity

00:45and dignity for all.

00:48Detroit's legacy, its culture, its leadership, its resistance are a living testament to black

00:54brilliance and preservation.

01:00But we also recognize the freedom was never fully granted.

01:04The abolishing slavery contained clause in the 13th amendment that still allows, and Americans

01:11need to know this, in the 13th amendment allows slavery to still exist as a quote, punishment

01:18for crime.

01:20That loophole to this day has fueled mass incarceration, economic exploitation, and generational harm,

01:26especially for black Americans.

01:28That's why I support abolishing the abolition amendment, which would strike this shameful exception

01:38for our constitution and end legalized practice of slavery in the United States.

01:42Detroiters understand the reparations are not just the past, and this is important.

01:48They are about addressing the present day impacts of institutional racism, Mr. Speaker.

01:53They are about acknowledging that labor, land, and lives stolen in the beginning to repair

01:59what's been broken.

02:00That's what it's about.

02:01We must give our black neighbors the reparations that they were promised.

02:06This Juneteenth, I ask you all in this chamber in honoring black neighbors by fighting for what's

02:10long overdue, reparations, black maternal health equity, investments in HBCUs, and real protections

02:17for voting rights.