Friend, this Juneteenth, I’m thinking about how far our fight for Black freedom and equality has come – and how far we still have to go.

It’s hard to conceptualize how much progress we’ve made in just a couple of generations. My grandmother, born in a time when educating Black women was hardly considered a priority, was never taught how to read or write. My parents, born and raised in the segregated South, had to fight every day to be treated with a fraction of the respect they deserved. 

Friend, when I look at my children and grandchildren, I can’t help but be amazed by all of the opportunities at their fingertips – but our fight is far from over. 

Equality, equity and safety are still not guaranteed for Black people and other people of color.

As long as Republicans continue to mount attacks on our right to vote; as long as a woman's right to an abortion is under threat; and as long as politicians in the gun lobby’s pocket vote down commonsense gun safety reform, how can we call ourselves the land of the free? 

So today, friend, ask yourself: Who do we still need to become as a nation, and what's it going to take? What can each of us do?

Friend, I’m sick and tired of watching politicians like Marco Rubio use archaic rules like the filibuster to halt our progress. That’s why I’m running to defeat him and become Florida’s next senator.

So today we celebrate how far we’ve come in our fight for Black justice and equality – and tomorrow we continue our fight.

Thank you for taking a moment to reflect on Juneteenth with me.

Onward,

Val Demings