Today is Juneteenth, when we celebrate our Black ancestors’ emancipation from chattel slavery in America. 

While the celebration of Freedom Day originated in Texas, marking the anniversary of the day the Union formally notified the state of the Emancipation Proclamation, Juneteenth has grown into a national holiday—offering us all an opportunity to reflect on America’s Black liberation movement. The holiday is a reminder to recommit ourselves to the fight for emancipation from all forms of racist domination. 

For Juneteenth, Advancement Project’s Erica Hilton and Ky’Eisha Penn have penned blog posts about what freedom means on Juneteenth and how we can carry forth our ancestors’ dreams of true emancipation. Click their links to expand your thinking about Juneteenth, its legacy, and our fight for freedom.

Last summer marked a new phase in this struggle; the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor inspired a flurry of organizing and protest against the agents of white supremacy—from the cops who criminalize our kids in our schools and brutalize our brothers and sisters in the streets, to the politicians who write laws to keep us from exercising our voting rights. 

Today, as we recognize the emancipatory victories we’ve won since last Juneteenth, let’s resolve to carry this mission forward for another year with clarity and purpose—together, we can build a future where all Black people are free and safe.

In Solidarity,

Advancement Project National Office