John,

On Thursday, President Biden signed into law a bill that establishes today, Juneteenth, a federal holiday. I am so thankful for generations of organizers who made this possible, and I was happy to support this legislation.

Still, we have so much more work to do to ensure racial equity.

Juneteenth marks the day during the Civil War where a Union general, Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform enslaved African-Americans about their freedom. Although President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, that news didn't arrive in Galveston until June 19, 1865. This holiday represents the end of slavery in the United States.

Today represents freedom. But there is a long way to go.

As lawmakers, we need to fully incorporate racial equity into everything we do -- and that's more than just making today a federal holiday.

If we really want to ensure equity for all, here are just a few measures to support:
- Safeguarding voting rights by passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act
- Passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
- Raising the minimum wage to at least $15/hr
- Establishing paid family leave and universal child care
- Improving public transportation to marginalized communities
- Ending environmental racism and reining in major polluters
- Transforming immigration policy, including pathways to citizenship
- Passing student debt relief
- Enacting the Equality Act

Let's keep pushing for a country that is truly inclusive and puts equity at the forefront of all we do.

- Marie

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