John,
Today is Juneteenth, a historic day that allows us the space to reflect, celebrate, and process the anniversary of the end of slavery. All across the country, Black communities are coming together to celebrate our culture, our history, and our victories.
This Juneteenth is especially historic, because it is the first year Juneteenth is celebrated as a federal holiday. Yet in the wake of this historic day, in more than 30 cities across the country, thousands of teachers and educators organized to protest against new laws that limit discussion around racism and slavery in the United States.
These laws have emerged in places like Texas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and North Carolina after the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. When teachers began teaching lessons about systemic racism, schools and lawmakers started to ban these lessons, and banned even broader lessons about marginalized groups and equity.
Our symbolic victory of today is clearly not enough when we have so many people fighting to keep the status quo intact.
Even when we take one step forward towards rebuilding and re-envision our country for the better, we have conservative lawmakers and interest groups setting us five steps back.
As an educator, I know far too well the duty our teachers, counselors, and staff have to shape the minds and hearts of our students so that they grow into well-rounded advocates for justice and equality.
It should not be the job of an educator to lie to our students about our country's history — regardless of the pitiful laws created to force them to. That's why I'm not only dedicating my time in Congress to bring long overdue symbolic change, but also for concrete and tangible progress for racial equality in our country.
Peace and love,
Jamaal Bowman
