Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom, Confronting Injustice

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended and that all enslaved people were now free. This was over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. That day has been commemorated as Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.

While Juneteenth marks a pivotal moment in the journey towards equality, it is also a sobering reminder that the path to true freedom and justice for Black Americans has been long and remains unfinished. The legacy of slavery, systemic racism, and oppression still manifests in many aspects of society today:

• Vast racial wealth gaps perpetuated by decades of exclusionary policies and practices
• Disproportionate incarceration of Black Americans and inequities in the criminal justice system
• Ongoing police brutality and use of excessive force against Black citizens
• Lack of equal access to quality education, healthcare, housing, and economic opportunities

As we celebrate Juneteenth, we must confront these harsh truths. True freedom cannot be realized until we achieve real equity and reform the systems and institutions that have suppressed and devalued Black lives for generations.

We must continue speaking out against racism in all its forms. We must implement policies to break down barriers and create pathways to opportunity. And we must listen to and amplify Black voices leading the movement against injustice.

On Juneteenth, we celebrate how far we've come, while rededicating ourselves to the monumental work ahead in dismantling the vestiges of oppression to create a truly equitable society.

How can you commemorate Juneteenth while taking action to combat the racial injustices that still exist today?