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Dear Friends,

Today is Juneteenth.

Living in Texas, I have always felt connected to a special part of Black history in this country. It’s a complicated and difficult history of enslavement, oppression, and discrimination, but also of Black resistance, triumph, and joy. Juneteenth is emblematic of this complicated history. It marks the day that, on June 19, 1865, those who were enslaved in Texas finally learned about their freedom, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln had originally signed the Emancipation Proclamation.


Despite the delay, Juneteenth remains a celebration of freedom, of the promise and excitement that the newly freed Black population of Texas felt as they heard this news.

Reflecting on this pivotal moment in American history is so important, which is why I am incredibly grateful that, thanks to the efforts of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congress has decided to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday. As someone who grew up celebrating Juneteenth, it is remarkable to watch this day grow from small backyard celebrations to a national holiday.

In addition to recognizing this history, however, we must ask ourselves what we are doing to fulfill the promise of opportunity and freedom from that first Juneteenth.

The Black community today continues to deal with the consequences of years of Jim Crow, decades of discrimination in housing and employment, and the ongoing cruelties of mass incarceration and criminalization. Now this year, in Texas and across the country, we are seeing an assault on the right to vote particularly aimed at communities of color in diverse urban counties like ours.

Having free and equal access to the ballot is fundamental to our democracy, and we cannot fulfill Juneteenth’s promise of opportunity and freedom without protecting this right. I hope that Congress will follow up this week’s celebration of Juneteenth with bold action to defend the voting rights of every American, because we cannot have a truly equitable society without free and fair elections.

The path to freedom has been long and hard, but I believe that we can make progress together.


Happy Juneteenth,



Rodney Ellis


 
Harris County Precinct One
Downtown Office
1001 Preston, 9th Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
713-274-1000
 
 
 
 


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