Hello —

In 1865, two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery, there were still about 250,000 enslaved people in Texas.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers came to Galveston, Texas with great news: The Civil War was over. All enslaved people in the United States were pronounced free. Juneteenth commemorates the freedom for all enslaved people.

While we honor this celebration of freedom, we must acknowledge the painful history of our country and recognize how much farther we must go to bring about true freedom, justice, and equality for all.

For far too long, institutional racism has limited opportunities in housing, health care, justice, and Black people’s everyday way of life. Black parents around our country live in fear that their children will be murdered by police officers and never come home.

We must take responsibility for how we have failed to ensure Black people have equal access to their inherent civil rights. As your next U.S. Senator, I commit to fully acknowledging the contributions of Black Americans and will work hard to incorporate it into American history.

Today and every day, we must make a commitment to do better, learn, and listen.

We must confront our inherent bias and the structural racism woven into every facet of society. Challenge injustice and never back down from doing what’s right!

We have so much more work to do, but when we fight, we win.

— John