Political Quotes

“Mr. President, tomorrow, we will commemorate the 155th Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of chattel slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and Union soldiers delivered the news of liberation to one of the last remaining confederate outposts in Galveston, TX. The Civil War had ended, and the last remaining enslaved Black Americans were free. General Gordon's decree would arrive over 2 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. For millions of Black Americans, Juneteenth traditionally has been a celebration of this freedom; it is also a day of reflection and education on a history that we all must confront. There is much to inform us about our present times that we can learn from the story of Juneteenth. It is the story of America, the story of my home State of Maryland. Each year, I aim to share these lessons and resources with my constituents through my office and in recognizing the continued work we must do to elevate Black history and create a more tolerant society. This year, my office will close to commemorate the holiday and allow staff the time to reflect on its important historical lessons. Juneteenth is a reminder that, even after the signing of Abraham Lincoln's seminal declaration, that even in a Nation whose founding documents should have enshrined liberty and justice for all of its inhabitants, freedom was a dream deferred for Black Americans.…”