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SEC. 2. SLAVERY REMEMBRANCE DAY COMMEMORATIVE 
EVENTS. 
(a) ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO HOLD EVENTS.— 
(1) CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that Congress, in consultation with the Library of 
Congress and the Smithsonian Institution, encour-
ages the holding of an annual commemorative event 
on an appropriate day at a location in the United 
States Capitol Complex to revere, honor, and re-
member the victims of slavery. 
(2) OTHERS.—Congress encourages all people 
of good will throughout the Nation to hold an an-
nual commemorative event on an appropriate day to 
revere, honor, and remember the victims of slavery. 
(b) LOCATION OF EVENTS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the annual commemorative event described in 
this section should be held at a location that can provide 
an appropriate degree of solemnity and dignity for such 
an occasion. 
(c) FEATURED PROGRAM AT EVENT.—It is the sense 
of Congress that an annual commemorative event de-
scribed in this section should feature the Remembrance 
Program recommended in section 3 or a variation of such 
Program. 
(d) PURPOSE.—The commemorative event described 
in this section is designed to serve as a memorial to the 
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victims of slavery, to educate the public about the histor-
ical reality as well as the lasting impact of slavery, and 
to inspire continued commitment to not only fight contem-
porary racial injustice and inequality, but also to continue 
the struggle for reverence and justice for the enslaved 
whose lives were sacrificed to make America great. 
SEC. 3. REMEMBRANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) CONTENTS.—The Remembrance Program rec-
ommended in this section is as follows: 
‘‘Friends, thank you for your participation. If 
you can, please join me by standing and placing 
your right hand over your heart to indicate heartfelt 
sorrow for the millions who suffered the horrors of 
slavery. 
‘‘Over the next few minutes, we will recall var-
ious well documented aspects of the experiences of 
America’s enslaved. 
‘‘At the end of each of these summarized expe-
riences, I will say the words ‘we must’: 
‘‘Immediately after I say ‘we must’, I would like 
you (each of you) to, in unison, say ‘always remem-
ber’. 
‘‘Let’s begin. 
‘‘To prevent the evils of slavery from being re-
peated, we must: 
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‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘To commemorate the suffering and the lives 
lost because of slavery, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the first 20 enslaved Africans who arrived 
in the British colonies at Point Comfort near what 
is now Norfolk Virginia on August 20, 1619, we 
must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the 12 million humans from all walks of 
life whose lives were stolen from them when they 
were kidnapped from Africa and forced into slavery, 
we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the Africans forced into slavery by other 
Africans, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the approximately 2 million human beings 
who suffered the deadly middle passage and did not 
survive the horrific voyage to America, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the men, women, and children on slave 
ships, many of whom were kept naked, packed close 
together with many shackled and chained, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
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‘‘For enslaved human beings who often worked 
from sunup to after sundown, 6 to 7 days a week, 
often without food, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the mothers and fathers who were sepa-
rated from their children and sold on the auction 
blocks, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For liberators such as Nat Turner, who fought 
to free enslaved people; who lost their lives in the 
fight for freedom and justice, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the tens of thousands of enslaved people 
who risked their lives in search of freedom on the 
Underground Railroad, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For liberators such as Harriet Tubman, who 
escaped slavery and dedicated her life to returning 
to the South no less than 13 times liberating 
enslaved men women and children, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘For the liberators such as John Brown, Presi-
dent Abraham Lincoln, and countless others of all 
hues who lived and died combating the horrific insti-
tution of slavery, we must: 
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‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘To commemorate the centuries of suffering, 
the years of tears shed, the history of hearts broken, 
the brutality of blood spilled, and the grieving over 
lives lost because of slavery we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘Yet, in the spirit of righteous remembrance 
imbued with love for our country that hasn’t always 
loved its brothers and sisters of African ancestry, we 
have to acknowledge that: 
‘‘In spite of slavery and despite its invidious 
offsprings: mass lynchings, Black codes, convict leas-
ing, lawful segregation, and institutional racism, Af-
rican Americans have come a laudably long way. 
‘‘From our arrival on slave ships to our ascen-
sion to judgeships, 
‘‘From surviving the Middle Passage to thriving 
among the masses, 
‘‘From shackled in chains to creating societal 
change, 
‘‘From sitting in the back of buses to owning 
bus companies, 
‘‘From having no house to residents in the 
White House, 
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‘‘From painfully picking cotton, to proudly 
picking Presidents, 
‘‘From adult males and females being dis-
respectfully called boy and girl to being respectfully 
presented as Mr. President and Madam Vice Presi-
dent. 
‘‘Laudably, the truth be told, although we have 
come a long way, we still have a way to go. 
‘‘In closing, let us resolve that as we forge for-
ward we will commemorate our past and embrace 
our destiny, always remembering the hardships peo-
ple of African heritage have endured in tandem with 
the victories won in spite of the seemingly invincible 
challenges emanating from insidious slavery and its 
invidious progenies! 
‘‘Through it all, we must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘We must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘We must: 
‘‘Always remember. 
‘‘If you are able, I would ask that you partici-
pate in a moment of silent solemnity at noon on Au-
gust 20th wherever you may be. 
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