Today, we celebrate Juneteenth.  On this day in 1865 — long after the Emancipation Proclamation — Texans received word of the end of slavery in the U.S. when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced that all slaves were now free and had “absolute equality” of personal rights and property rights.

Since that day, Texans have celebrated June 19 — Juneteenth — as a day of freedom, progress, and hope.  Today, that celebration happens not only in Texas but across the country.  And while we celebrate all that Juneteenth represents, we also know that we still have much work to do to make its promise a reality for all.

In recent weeks, our country has been engaged in a nationwide conversation about race and racism, about systemic inequality, about structural racism, about bias, conscious and unconscious, and about lived experience.  We have an opportunity in this moment to learn, to listen, to work together, and to make real progress.  We also know from our history that we are the ones who must ensure we do so -- to make sure this moment leads to progress.  Each of us individually.  All of us together.

Today is a day of joy and hope -- powerful forces to guide us at this moment in our history.  Together, we can realize freedom, equality, and opportunity for all Americans.  Together, we can choose leaders who will work to live up to those ideals.

Together, we can do anything,