Folks, on this Juneteenth, we remember the end of slavery and celebrate freedom.

On June 19th, 1865, the last 250,000 slaves were declared free in Galveston, Texas. Only two years later, my great-great-grandfather was granted the right to vote.

Sometimes it's hard to wrap my head around how much progress we've made in just a couple of generations. Three years ago, I had the honor of being at the White House when President Biden made Juenteenth a national holiday.

It's truly surreal – knowing how far my family, and so many families of color, have come. All the way from being enslaved, to finally getting the right to vote, to being elected to represent the First State in the House, and running to become the fourth Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.

We've walked down a long road of progress, but there's still more work left to be done to achieve racial justice and equity in our country.

From working towards a fairer justice system to enshrining voting rights, I'm ready to create an even playing field for all Delawareans. So today, we celebrate how far we've come in our fight for racial justice and equality – and tomorrow we continue the fight.

Thank you for taking a moment to reflect on Juneteenth with me.

Onward,

- Lisa Blunt Rochester