John,

Tomorrow is Juneteenth, a day that commemorates when the news of freedom arrived in Galveston in 1865 — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth marks the effective end of slavery in America and is a reminder of our country’s history, the progress we have made and how much further we still have to go to overcome systemic racism.

Last year, our nation, for the first time in our history, celebrated Juneteenth as a federal holiday. We are so proud Colin was able to support the years-long efforts of folks like Fort Worth’s own Ms. Opal Lee and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to make Juneteenth a national holiday.

America is the greatest nation on Earth not because we’ve never made a mistake but because we’ve always worked to build a more perfect union and the celebration of Juneteenth is a great example of this. It is a recognition that we’ve erred greatly in the past but that we are determined to reckon with the darkest parts of our history so we can build an even stronger, more inclusive nation.

While we’ve made great progress, systemic racism and white supremacy are still visible in so many aspects of our society. Last month, we witnessed a gunman motivated by racial hatred murder 10 Black Americans in a grocery store in Buffalo, and since the 2020 election we’ve seen the most widespread attack on the right to vote since the days of Jim Crow.

We cannot achieve true equality until every American, especially Black Americans, can live free from discrimination, and it’s on all of us to once again shame and reject white supremacist voices.

Colin will always fight for equal rights, opportunities and protection under the law. So please join us in remembering the meaning of this holiday and the work that must be done to realize the true promise of this country.

Thank you,
Colin Allred for Congress