Hey John,
I'm about to walk out the door, but I wanted to email you first.
I'm heading out to join St. Louis in celebrating Juneteenth, our newest federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. and the day in 1865 in which Black enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom — more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth is a day of resistance, freedom deferred — and Black joy. I can't wait to get out into the community and celebrate with my neighbors and friends.
This year's Juneteenth offers a reminder that our work to save Black lives is not complete. We must remember that it’s Juneteenth AND. That means Juneteenth AND reparations. Juneteenth AND ending voter suppression. Juneteenth AND an end to police violence. Juneteenth AND an end to white supremacy in our country. That’s our work — to secure Black liberation in its totality.
I'm proud to be the first activist from the movement fighting for Black lives to serve in Congress. From introducing the Green New Deal for Cities to address environmental racism to introducing the Drug Policy Reform Act to end the racist, white supremacist "war on drugs", I'm fighting to make life better in St. Louis and communities like it every single day.
Now, my team and I are preparing to unveil legislation to transform our approach to public safety. If you'd like to help support this work, a donation of any amount today will go directly to growing this people-powered movement to save Black lives.
I hope you can reflect on this important history and celebrate today, John.
Your Congresswoman loves you,
Cori