Juneteenth is an important part of American history we all need to celebrate. And use it as an opportunity to come together to push to eliminate structural racism in the United States.

June 19 became known as “Juneteenth” in 1865, commemorating the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, enacted two years earlier in 1863, and the end of the Civil War reaching Galveston, Texas, and creating the effective end to slavery across all of the United States. Although it has long been celebrated within the Black community, its official designation as a federal holiday in 2021 ensures that all people in our country honor its historical significance and learn how the legacy of Juneteenth is woven into our continued efforts to achieve justice and equality today.

The writer James Baldwin wrote, "History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read and it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It can scarcely be otherwise since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations."

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom. But we are still fighting for absolute equality. It is an appreciation of Black heritage in our nation and a time to reflect on more than a century of arbitrary discrimination that followed. Let us all recognize the importance of Juneteenth and carry the spirit of this holiday within us and live it every day. Let us gather in both large and small celebrations to remember, find our shared power, and make changes to the structural barriers that hold us back as a nation.