John,

Juneteenth has taken on an entirely new urgency this year. Americans all across the country are still taking to the streets to demand justice for the Black community. And this isn't just about ending police brutality -- this is a movement to dismantle the systemic and cultural racism that has plagued our country for over 400 years.

Slavery didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation. President Lincoln didn't just suddenly end all race-based oppression in the United States. It actually took over two years for the free men, women, and children of the Confederate South to be released from the cruel and dehumanzing bonds of slavery that sacrificed Black lives for white prosperity.

And the remnants of slavery and Jim Crow era discrimination still exist today. Disparities in housing, health care outcomes, food security, and job security continue to plague the Black community. The policing and criminal justice reform we so desperately need continues to be obstructed by Republican lawmakers all across the country. Not to mention the racial wealth gap, the failed war on drugs, rampant voter suppression efforts, the epidemic of violence against Black trans women, and all the other injustices we have yet to eradicate.

But for Black Americans, Juneteenth is a time to stop and celebrate the remarkable strength, creativity, and resiliency of our people. It's our independence day, and the beginning of the long and hard road to equality that we are all still traveling. But I have faith that we will see that day soon if we continue to work together to finally address the deeply-rooted systemic racism in this country.

So today, John, I am full of pride, admiration, and hope. It's an honor to continue standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you in our fight to finally fulfill the American promise of justice for all.

Happy Juneteenth,

Dwight

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