Friends -

On July 4, 1776, the Founders declared this a nation where all people were free.

And yet almost a century later on June 19, 1865, Galveston, Texas became one of the last places to receive the news that slavery had ended. The last enslaved people were released over TWO YEARS after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth is often called America’s second Independence Day. It honors the day that the last enslaved people were emancipated and celebrates the chains past broken. But it’s also a reminder for us to pause and reflect on where we are, where we’re going, and how much work there is left to do.

So today as we celebrate freedom, we also reflect on how the past influences our present. We still have so much further to go to truly ensure liberty and justice for all. We must be critical, and the reality is in some areas we're slipping backwards.

Right now there is an all-out attack being waged on voting rights, as lawmakers use gerrymandering to disenfranchise voices — and Black voters are among those hit hardest. But it doesn't stop there. Black people still earn 25% less than their white counterparts and are incarcerated at five times the rate. In health care, Black women's maternal mortality is three times that of white women, and Black life expectancy is 3.6 years shorter than white life expectancy. There is much more work to be done.

But today, we also think about the power that lives in the American spirit to right those wrongs. That’s something we know how to do particularly well here in Wisconsin — Milwaukee was one of the first cities in the U.S. to host a Juneteenth celebration back in 1971.

If we are going to live up to our promise as a democracy, we have to do more. The actions of leaders must go beyond symbolic gestures. We must commit to the future.

A future where we have the conviction to right the wrongs we see around us. Where every child, no matter their zip code or circumstance, has opportunity. Where elected leaders go beyond gestures and platitudes and stand up to fight the biggest battles of our time.

I believe we're up for the challenge.

So today let’s celebrate our freedom, our collective power, and keep fighting to build the nation that we deserve. Happy Juneteenth!

All my best,

Mandela

 

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