John,

Today is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

This unofficial holiday comes in the midst of a true revolution in our country — people marching in the streets because they are sick and tired of black people being murdered by the systemic racism and white supremacy seen not only in our policing system, but in every fabric of our country.

Most of us agree — this moment was long overdue.

But to understand where we are now and how we move forward, we must acknowledge the fact that our entire nation was founded on the brutal manifestation of racism that is slavery.

White people enslaved black people, tied them up in chains, put them on ships, and brought them to America to exploit their entire being. White America used slave labor to build America’s capitalist economy. Even the institutions our country holds as beacons of democracy and freedom — The White House and the US Capitol — were built by slaves.

Even centuries after slavery ended, we are still living with its legacy every day. As historian and Black studies professor Karlos K. Hill of the University of Oklahoma said, “Even though slavery came to an end in 1865, the desire to master and dominate black bodies did not, and we have never dealt with that”.

There’s no more glaring example of this than our policing and justice system. Since Jan. 1, 2015, 1,252 black people have been shot and killed by police. And many of the officers, most of whom are white, are rarely held accountable for their actions. Lynching is still not a federal hate crime.

Now is the time for our country to address the fundamental sins it was built on and work to build a truly just society. 

My fellow Brand New Congress slate member Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) released a Reconstruction Agenda, and I fully endorse and support it.

It will:

• Establish a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate, document, and assess the federal government’s role in America’s history of racism and study reparations,
• Shift funding and resources from police departments, jails, and prisons to new agencies designed to protect public health,
• and provide a historic investment to provide all Americans with the things we need to thrive, like Medicare for All and housing justice.

Today, I urge you to read Jamaal’s article in The Nation, “It’s Time to Make Juneteenth a National Holiday” (which I also support), watch Vox’s explainer video on Juneteeth, and to support local black businesses that desperately need help in the COVID-19 crisis.

The change doesn’t start tomorrow. It starts now.

Eva Putzova