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Friend — Today is Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of institutionalized slavery in the United States. Officially, Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger of the United States Army arrived in Galveston, Texas — the last of the former Confederate states to maintain institutionalized slavery of Black people — in order to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and declare all enslaved people there free. Notably, over two and half years had passed between the time that the Emancipation Proclamation took effect and General Granger's proclamation. What is less known is that another six months would pass before the Thirteenth Amendment would finally outlaw slavery throughout the entire United States. Juneteenth and its unique history remind us that none are free until all are free. Free from racial profiling. Free from police violence. Free from polluted air. Free from toxic drinking water. Today, we acknowledge that the environmental movement has not always been a strong enough ally in the fight for racial justice. Our movement has too often excluded Black voices and perspectives. We have not always acknowledged the disproportionate and unacceptable impacts of pollution and environmental injustice on Black communities, nor have we made Black people feel fully welcome in outdoor spaces, or in our movement. Just a few days ago, we asked for your help in supporting a proposal to create a historic commission to study and recommend reparations for African Americans to remedy our nation's legacy of racial injustice. Today, I hope that you will read more about this important initiative and join us in calling for President Biden to act.
Last year, I wrote to you and promised that LCV's work to advance racial justice must and would continue past the headlines of the historic protest movement for Black lives over the past few years. We renew that pledge today — we will continue to work harder in the fight for racial justice and equity and hold ourselves accountable to these commitments. Onward, Gene Karpinski President League of Conservation Voters |
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