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John, I am taking today as a day of celebration and reflection, both as a Black man and as Governor of Maryland. Juneteenth is marked as the second Independence Day of America. It was on this day in 1865 that Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free. Though the Emancipation Proclamation brought this freedom on January 1st, 1863, it took more than two years for this freedom to be brought all the way out west to states such as Texas. This is why Juneteenth exists. It wasn’t until 2021 that Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday by President Biden. We still see acts of injustice against Black Americans to this day. Juneteenth is not only a time to celebrate, but a time to reflect. In that reflection, I ask you to challenge yourself: What do you see for the future of America and its freedoms? What does freedom mean to you? How can we achieve that freedom for all? Elevate, Wes Moore
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