Dear Friends, 

Today, we celebrate Juneteenth as the promise of freedom. Take the opportunity to learn something about African American history that you did not know. There are so many figures, events, or protests that are forgotten because of years of educational suppression. Juneteenth is about acknowledging the struggle and the suffering toward independence from chains. Today there are so many different ways we are bound by different chains. Through wealth inequality, severe gaps in healthcare, abuse by law enforcement and more, our chains still exist. There are daily opportunities to work together toward true equality, while that goal may be achieved through enacting reparations for the past, the first step is always education. The recent signing of S.475 - Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making Juneteenth a national holiday is a major milestone in the current movement to recognize this holiday nationally.
 

Sincerely,

Steven Bradford
Senator, 35^th Senate District