On June 19th,1865, some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree.

This is the origin of Juneteenth, which is sometimes called “Freedom Day” or “Black Independence Day”.

Galveston is in Texas's 14th Congressional District, for which I am currently running

America has often neglected to include all Americans in her prosperity and freedom, something we are experiencing up until this very day.

That is why it is so important that we teach our kids about Juneteenth and the struggle for social justice. Progress is a long road, but I believe that we can build an America where all belong and are able to thrive.

-Rhonda