2013 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 13-009 BY SENATOR(S) Ulibarri, Aguilar, Balmer, Baumgardner, Brophy, Cadman, Carroll, Crowder, Giron, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey, Heath, Hill, Hodge, Hudak, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, King, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Newell, Nicholson, Renfroe, Roberts, Scheffel, Schwartz, Steadman, Tochtrop, Todd, Morse; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Lee, Melton, Exum, Salazar, Fields, Williams, Buckner, Buck, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Dore, Duran, Everett, Fischer, Foote, Garcia, Gardner, Gerou, Ginal, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Levy, May, McLachlan, McNulty, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Murray, Navarro, Nordberg, Pabon, Peniston, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Rosenthal, Ryden, Saine, Schafer, Scott, Singer, Sonnenberg, Stephens, Swalm, Szabo, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Wilson, Wright, Young, Ferrandino. CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF FEBRUARY 2013 AS "EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION AWARENESS MONTH". WHEREAS, The Emancipation Proclamation was signed 150 years ago on January 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln; and WHEREAS, The Emancipation Proclamation reads: "Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit: That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom. That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States. Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit: Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth), and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued. And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons. And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages. And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service. And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh." WHEREAS, The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation represents a seminal moment in American history and in the history of people of African descent in this country; and WHEREAS, The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation was a major step toward the abolition of slavery, helping to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence that all persons are created equal and renewing this nation's founding philosophy of human liberty; and WHEREAS, The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for the liberation of nearly 4 million people of African descent formerly enslaved in America who went on to make inspiring contributions to every aspect of American life. Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That we, the members of the General Assembly, in recognition of the historical significance of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation as an important moment in our nation's history, designate February 2013 as "Emancipation Proclamation Awareness Month" and encourage the celebration of this anniversary with the spirit of freedom, equality, and justice for all people by all citizens of Colorado. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Mr. Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Ms. Rosemary Harris Lytle, President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming State Conference, President Barack Obama, Governor John Hickenlooper, and the Colorado Congressional delegation. ____________________________ ____________________________ John P. Morse Mark Ferrandino PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Cindi Markwell Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES