Dear John,

On this day over 150 years ago, slaves in Galveston, Texas received news that the Civil War was over. They were free. 

Newly freed African Americans were empowered to transform their lives and their country. With new found hope, they established schools, reunited with lost family and pursued tremendous change. Yet, this year, our celebrations are met with sadness.  

We continue to see the consequences of systemic racism and discriminatory policies that disproportionately harm the Black community. From Emmett Till to Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and all the lives lost - the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, the War on Drugs, and mass incarceration remains alive and it must be addressed. We must do better.

June 19 is a day of reflection and renewed hope. It is a day of listening and a day to pray for peace and equity for all. It is vital for all Americans to understand that Black Lives Matter. As long as people still discriminate and hate based on one's race we cannot say our country is living up to its highest ideals. We must remain steadfast in our knowledge that through every hardship we are afforded the opportunity for transformation. And America must transform.

To sustain meaningful change we must publically acknowledge the problems. We must come face to face with this reality and in order to achieve a just world we must actively work towards it. Our voices must be louder than the hatred. Love must win.

We are well aware that these issues cannot be fixed quickly or by any one person or organization, we at Emgage Action are more dedicated than ever to empowering voters to realize the change that we all seek by turning out a record number of voters, advocating for real policy changes, and supporting the right candidates for public office.  

In Solidarity,