John,
Earlier today, I went to the White House for the signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which fully recognizes June 19 as a federal holiday in honor of the end of slavery in the United States.
As a Black man and original co-sponsor of this bill, I could not be more proud to see this recognition come to light 156 years after the end of slavery. Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is something I've been calling for since before I won my primary campaign last year.
So while the passage of this legislation is a critical step towards finally recognizing our nation's history and rebuilding our society to be inclusive of all, we cannot stop this work now.
This is a symbolic victory, John: necessary, but not nearly enough. Slavery is not something that's in our distant past when we still live with its legacy every single day. Our institutions were created and designed to protect the white and wealthy and oppress the rest of us — and these systems are still in place today.
In so many parts of our country, systemic racism continues to plague our communities in the forms of housing discrimination and segregation, lack of access to health care, wealth inequity, mass incarceration, and so much more.
Today is a long-overdue step forward in bringing true racial justice to our country. We know what we need to fight for our future as an inclusive and multi-racial democracy — and this fight requires all of us.
Peace and love,
Jamaal Bowman
