John,

Today is Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth recognizes the day that the last slaves in Galveston, Texas learned from the Union Army that slavery had finally been abolished in the U.S. on June 19th, 1865.

What I find most powerful about this celebration is that Black Americans don’t celebrate emancipation on the day that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, or on the day the Civil War ended. Juneteenth reminds us that what matters most is the lived experience of every person.

The truth is that slavery isn’t over, it’s evolved.

It’s kept Black America chained, both literally and figuratively. Black Americans are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites. Some are still even required to work for as little as two cents an hour in the fields, warehouses, and kitchens.

The maternal mortality rate is 3 to 4 times as deadly for Black mothers than white mothers. Black Americans are more likely to suffer the consequences of climate change, living in neighborhoods that don’t have clean air and water, affordable and healthy food, and crumbling infrastructure. It’s prevented Black families from affording a home and saving for retirement.

These injustices are in every aspect of our society from health care to education to the environment to our military and even to agriculture and farming.

This has been part of why I’m running for Congress: to fight for equality, fairness, and justice.

So this Juneteenth, I ask you to look at how systemic racism works and commit to being a part of the solution. I hope you’ll join me in doing the work to make this country one where everyone is equal.

Standing Tall for All,

J.D. Scholten


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