Friend,

Three years ago, President Biden stood with “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee as he consecrated Juneteenth a national holiday, 156 years after emancipation finally reached Galveston, Texas. 

Just over one month ago, President Biden again stood with Opal Lee as he awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her decades of activism in reaching that milestone and her commitment to public service throughout her career as a teacher and counselor. 

As Vice President Harris noted at the ceremony on June 19, 2021, our national holidays recognize the great achievements of our nation–those who worked towards them, and those who have fought for our founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These include Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and–now for three years–Juneteenth. 

Because of Opal’s passion, today, across our nation, families, friends, and communities will come together to celebrate Juneteenth with picnics, barbecues, music, and joy. And like many moments in our nation’s history, Juneteenth marked the beginning of a new phase for our country. Emancipation was the law of the land, but we all know it did not immediately make Black Americans truly free. 

This Juneteenth, we recognize the pivotal moment of emancipation reaching the last slaves in Texas, and we renew our commitment to the fight for racial justice for Black Americans.

Nydia