Happy Juneteenth, John!

157 years ago today, a Union general arrived in Galveston, Texas, delivering news that the Civil War was over, and enslaved African Americans were now free under President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

This news came two years after Lincoln signed the declaration — and it officially marked the end of slavery as we knew it in the United States. Thus, Juneteenth was born as a way to celebrate the triumph over one of our history’s biggest horrors.

However, while today is a celebration of how far we’ve come since the atrocities of slavery, it’s important to remember that bigotry is still very much alive in our country — and the fight for justice, equality, and love now rests on our shoulders.

The murder of George Floyd shook our country awake in 2020, opening our eyes to the blatant discrimination and violent attacks waged against our Black neighbors and loved ones on a daily basis. Yet in the years following his tragic death, racially-motivated violence has only been on the rise.

John, let me be clear: These attacks are directly related to the dangerous rhetoric spewed by right-wing extremists.

Rather than addressing systemic racial inequities in access to the ballot box, public school funding, incarceration rates, or health care coverage, right-wing extremists have wasted their power on culture wars that undermine our schools and dog-whistle politics that sow distrust among neighbors and doubt in our democracy.

As your next congresswoman, I will continue our progress toward equality before the law.

That means strengthening our constitutional right to the ballot box, eliminating the school-to-prison pipeline, recruiting the best and brightest talent into our workforce, closing racial gaps in health care and education, and expanding the circle of compassion to give people of all skin colors the opportunity of the Good Life.

The pursuit of full equality before the law is a generations-long effort. Though we have a long way to go, our nation and our great people are worth the investment. I will always fight for equality and justice for all.

John, let us continue this work together.

Onward,

Patty Pansing Brooks