Happy Juneteenth, John.

Today is a celebration of the significance of freedom. It is a commemoration of the progress our country has made. It is an acknowledgment of how far we have come since the end of the Civil War.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but it was not until two and a half years later on June 19, 1865 that the news reached the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas.

In the decades that followed, many states came to acknowledge the significance of June 19, and in 2021, I was proud to cosponsor and cast my vote in the House of Representatives to pass the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, sending it to President Biden’s desk, where he signed it into law and established Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

As I cast my vote three years ago and reflect on the significance today, I fully appreciate how fragile our democracy is.

We still have a long way to go, and the election this November will help determine our direction. We can’t change our past, but we can decide what kind of future we will pave for our children.

So John, as we reflect and rejoice on this special holiday, let us all take heart in its representation of the joy and resilience in our communities. Let us honor the contributions made on our collective path toward greater progress.

With immense gratitude,

Jahana Hayes