Friends,

This Saturday, June 19th, we celebrate the freedom and emancipation of those enslaved in the United States. On this day in 1865, federal troops reached Galveston, Texas, and brought with them the news of liberation — two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

Just as it took more than two years before enslaved people in the farthest corner (at the time) of the United States heard the news of their freedom, we, as a nation, have still not achieved our highest ideals of liberty and justice for all Americans. The holiday itself is an example of this long delay: Though Black Americans have celebrated Juneteenth for generations, the rest of our communities are still catching up — for the first time, Virginia will observe Juneteenth as a state holiday, and the U.S. Senate recently passed a measure marking it as a federal holiday.

We should not look to this holiday, which is new for so many, as the closing of a long, dark chapter in American history. Rather, we must take this day of celebration to reflect on how far we’ve come, so that we can fully recognize how much farther we have to go and also to reaffirm our commitment to traveling that road toward racial justice. Our fight for equality continues without reservation.

Visit to Richmond Historic Asylum
This month, as we celebrate Pride and Juneteenth, marking the ways in which we’ve grown closer to our highest ideals as a nation, it seems appropriate to call attention to the families and histories in our communities that have been largely forgotten. Richmond has its own share of such stories, and while some of these histories are full of pain and suffering, they also include narratives of grace and courage.

On Monday, June 7th, the city of Richmond unveiled a historic marker for Richmond’s Central Lunatic Asylum, in Church Hill at the corner of 20th and Fairmount Streets. In December 1869, a former Confederate facility, known as Howard’s Grove Hospital, was designated as a mental health hospital for African Americans. The name was later changed to Central Lunatic Asylum. In June 1870, the General Assembly passed an act incorporating the Central Lunatic Asylum as an organized state institution. You can read more about the history here. This historical marker is a way of recognizing troubled moments in our history, so that we learn from them and ensure such events never happen again.

Education Town Hall
Next Thursday, June 24th from 7pm-8pm, I’ll be hosting a town hall centered on K-12 education. We’ll discuss school reopenings, what students and faculty can expect for the fall, and how each school district is emerging from the pandemic.

Joining me for this important discussion will be key leaders from the Virginia Department of Education and all three Superintendents of the school systems within Senate District 10: Kathy Burcher (VA Deputy Secretary of Ed.), Holly Coy (VA Dept. of Ed. Assistant Superintendent), Jason Kamras (Superintendent for Richmond Public Schools), Dr. Mervin Daughtery (Superintendent for Chesterfield County Public Schools), and Dr. Eric Jones (Superintendent for Powhatan County Public Schools). I do hope you’ll join us. You can RSVP here. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oKFfdrNqR9ajPnmRPt7eUA

Contacting our office
As always, if you need assistance, or if you want to schedule a Zoom or phone call with our team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. Email is the best way to contact us. We can be reached at [email protected].

— Ghazala Hashmi
 

 









FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK









FOLLOW ON TWITTER









FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM




 


--------------------------------------------------------------
| Paid for and authorized by Friends of Ghazala Hashmi |
--------------------------------------------------------------

Friends of Ghazala Hashmi
PO Box 72923
Richmond VA 23235 United States

Senator Ghazala Hashmi was elected to office in 2019 and is honored to represent the 10th Senatorial District (parts of Richmond City and Chesterfield County, and all of Powhatan County). She chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Public Education and is committed to issues of education, healthcare, housing, the environment, and social justice.






Contribute




If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please [link removed].