June 19, 1865

Juneteenth commemorates the moment enslaved people in Texas received word of the Emancipation Proclamation — two years after it was signed. This holiday is an important opportunity to reflect on the legacy of slavery and to recommit to supporting equality and justice for all.

Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, word traveled slowly, especially where it was not welcomed. June 19, 1865 — or Juneteenth — marks the day when emancipation finally reached enslaved people in the deepest parts of the former Confederacy.

Americans celebrate Juneteenth for the promise it holds and for the powerful message it symbolizes. From its beginning, Juneteenth offered hope that America was moving closer to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, including the idea that all people are created equal and "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the promise of freedom for Black Americans and to focus on the work we still must do to realize that dream. We have made progress, but we must continue to do more now to address injustice, racism, and violence in our country.

More soon,

Rick