John, 

Tomorrow is Juneteenth, a commemoration of the final emancipation of slaves in the United States when in 1865, 250,000 slaves in the state of Texas were declared free by the U.S. Army. Though Juneteenth is a moment of celebration, it also requires reflection on the continued subjugation of Black people in our country, long after the end of slavery.

With the passage of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act (JNIDA), we call on our elected leaders to go further. While the passage of JNIDA is historic, this does not erase the structural racism inherent to all our systems. We call on our federal leaders to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, without which we can not truly celebrate freedom.

We will continue to fight alongside our Black brothers and sisters for true emancipation, because “None of us can be free until all of us are free.”

Si se puede!


In solidarity,

Murad Awawdeh
Executive Director