160 years ago today, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas finally heard the truth that Confederates had been hiding from them: President Lincoln had freed them with the Emancipation Proclamation over two years prior.
160 years ago today, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas finally heard the truth that Confederates had been hiding from them: President Lincoln had freed them with the Emancipation Proclamation over two years prior.
Can you even imagine…?
Finding out something so life changing and significant, and knowing those in power kept it from you to maintain control and deny your humanity.
But instead of focusing on the dishonesty and the heartbreak of lost time and injustice — Juneteenth has become a celebration of resilience, freedom, joy, and Black excellence. Because we overcame.
It’s Jubilee Day. Second Independence Day. Freedom Day!
And every year we celebrate our grit and the progress we’ve made toward true freedom and justice. It helps us center joy in our continued struggle.
Because just like in 1865, freedom on paper and freedom in our lived realities are different.
Many will claim we are in a post-racial society. But the battle against White Supremacy is not over. The stain of America’s original sin has not been erased.
That’s why I am proud of all the work we’ve done over the years to center equity, justice, and righting historical wrongs in our approach to governing.
Looking back we’ve made real progress in just a few years.
- Working through measuring and navigating slavery’s remaining impacts on The California Reparations Task Force
- Helping found the Black Arts & Culture District in Southeastern San Diego to preserve and tell our story
- Securing funding for a Black home ownership program to build generational wealth in formerly redlined communities
- Supporting Black owned businesses through partnerships with San Diego County Black Chamber of Commerce;
- Repairing some disproportionate damages of the War on Drugs through our Cannabis Equity Program
Even just getting elected made history and shattered barriers for leaders who look like me.
And I am grateful.
This work is life giving for me, and I am hopeful for the progress ahead of us. But it’s still work. We are still pushing through injustice and trauma and forces that seek to deny our humanity.
And unfortunately we live in a time where denying freedom is on the agenda again.
The tactics used to subjugate Black Americans are being deployed against people across the country. Enslavement through private prisons and detention centers. Splitting up families. Denying medical care. Systematically refusing economic opportunity. Even denying the right to vote.
The truth is the fight for freedom is going to get harder for a while.
So we pause to celebrate the progress we’ve made and the freedoms we’ve won. And we steel ourselves for the work ahead to win freedoms over and over and over again.
Because as Maya Angelou said: “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.”
In celebration and determination,
Monica Montgomery Steppe
Born and raised in San Diego, Monica Montgomery Steppe is an HBCU graduate, and an attorney by trade. Monica believes in her heart that neighborhoods and community members are vibrant and worthy of care and investment. To learn more about Monica and the work she's doing for District Four, click here.
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Paid for by: Montgomery Steppe for Supervisor 2026
FPPC ID # 1470155
3295 Meade Ave, #212, San Diego CA 92116 |
