Team,

On Juneteenth, we mark the emancipation of enslaved people in our country and recommit to the fight for racial justice and social equity.

Black Americans have endured generations of pain and injustice -- from slavery, to Jim Crow and segregation, to a criminal justice system that disproportionately harms and kills them. We can’t let it continue.

Texas is the site of this turning point in our country’s history and I don’t take that lightly. It highlights an ugly history in our state, and it also shows that Texas can be a place where transformative change happens.

155 years later, how we choose to continue the fight for true equality will define who we are. For far too long the work has fallen on those most directly harmed by our country’s injustices -- especially Black Americans. That’s not right. We must all step up, pledge to do the hard work, and keep pushing until we truly achieve liberty and justice for all.

We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we just can’t get it done with a senator who repeatedly denies the reality of systemic racism in our criminal justice system. We need real and sustained systemic fixes for what is without question a systemic problem.

The work doesn’t stop at policing and criminal justice reform, though. All Texans deserve fairness and equity in housing, education, our health care system, and the economy. I’m fighting for a Texas that is at the forefront of these changes, a leader in the fight against racial injustice in our country.

Texas has been and can still be a place where transformative change happens. Let's celebrate today and then wake up tomorrow to continue the work -- together.

Thank you for everything you do to help our nation live up to its ideals.

MJ

P.S. I know that my perspective is limited, and I don’t have all the answers. If you would like to share your perspective or have any feedback for me, please send in your thoughts here.