Happy Juneteenth.
Today we honor the freedom, resilience, and strength of Black Americans — and the generations of civil rights leaders who marched and sacrificed so this country could live up to its own promises.
We cannot honor that legacy without speaking the truth: that freedom is under attack. The Voting Rights Act gutted. Black voters silenced at the ballot box. This is voter suppression in broad daylight.
We don't just commemorate the struggle. We CONTINUE it.
Happy Juneteenth to everyone celebrating today.
Juneteenth is both a joyous celebration and a solemn reminder that the road to justice and equality is a long one that we must all walk together. Today, let’s renew our commitment to one another that we will stay vigilant, that we will not turn back, and that we will build a future we can all truly share.
On June 19, 1865, African American communities in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from slavery — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.
For 161 years, Juneteenth has been a day of remembrance for the freedom that was delayed. It is also a celebration of the joy and resilience that flourished despite that delay.
The contributions of African Americans, whose struggle for freedom shaped our nation, are immeasurable. Yet too many Black families continue to bear the brunt of an affordability crisis that has pushed them out of the neighborhoods and communities they've built.
True freedom has a tangible impact on daily life: the ability to afford housing, earn a living wage, put food on the table, support a family, and create a future for generations to come.
As we celebrate today, we must recommit ourselves to ensuring this freedom is fully realized.
Happy Juneteenth, New York City.