Today, we pause to commemorate the ending of the institution of slavery in the United States on this solemn day.

Many Americans believe that slavery swiftly ended with the Emancipation Proclamation, but in reality, it took over two years for the news of freedom to reach every enslaved person in this country.

Freedom finally came when 2,000 Union Troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas to announce that the 250,000 enslaved people in the state were officially free by executive decree.

As we pause today to celebrate the freedom of the formerly enslaved peoples, we must not forget that there is still much more work to be done.

The systemic legacy of the institution of slavery is seen today and has only exacerbated issues in the Black American community. We see this through police brutality and the system of mass incarceration. That is why I have been committed to fighting against racial disparities and inequalities in Sacramento County and across the nation.

It is up to us, as a collective, to recommit to dismantling the structural inequities that exist as a direct result of our country’s long and painful history.

Be well,

Ami Bera