Today, I hope you'll join me in commemorating Juneteenth. One hundred and fifty-seven years ago, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, Union soldiers rode into Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved African Americans that the Civil War was over and they were now free.
As a community, let's come together and commemorate this day not only to honor the liberation of enslaved people within our nation's borders, but as a day that also marks new beginnings and a possibility of hope for the future.
Newly freed slaves didn't know what awaited them outside of slavery, but they knew they finally had the opportunity to pursue a better life for themselves, their families and loved ones, and the generations that would follow.
As the Black community continues to face immense trials, tribulations, heartache, and pushback, we recognize the incredible progress we've made, persevere together, and move forward with the same hope our ancestors had over a decade and a half ago.
We still have a lot of work to do. Current events have shown systemic racism and white supremacy are still incredibly prevalent in our society and institutions. But, deep down, we can still channel the hope of a better future and use that to drive our work to build a better America.
Thank you and happy Juneteenth,
Jaime
Jaime Harrison
Chair
Democratic National Committee
