Dear
155 years ago today, Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas to announce that all slaves were free, even though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued two years earlier.

We commemorate this day as Juneteenth, a reminder of that historic moment in the struggle for equality and a shameful, painful reminder of America's original sin. A reminder that none are free until all are free.

As we celebrate Juneteenth today, we must remember that the oppression of Black Americans continues through dramatic inequalities in our education, housing, judicial and health care systems. We have to acknowledge and address the structural racism, ongoing bigotry and unconscious bias that still permeate American life.

This includes tough conversations with friends, family members, elected officials and local leaders. Most importantly it demands that each of us answer an important question: when the protests and demonstrations have died down, what more will I do?

In the words of President Obama, "Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory or an acceptance of the way things are. Instead, it's a celebration of progress."

So today, let's recognize the Black community's hard-fought progress under the leadership of people like Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King as we recommit to changing the fundamental injustices in our country.

Jim

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