Dear Harvard Dems,
Today we celebrate Juneteenth. On June 19th, 1865 — two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union — Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved Black people were free. This announcement came more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863, and put the Proclamation into effect. We celebrate Juneteenth instead of the day the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect as a reminder that we are not free until we are all free.
Juneteenth commemorates freedom and African American history in the United States. It celebrates the ongoing fight for true freedom and liberty for our Black family, friends, and neighbors. It is widely celebrated through festivities such as honorary trips to Galveston, barbecues, parades, festivals, musical performances, and more. The fight for Juneteenth to be recognized as a national holiday is still happening today — 46 states and the District of Columbia all officially recognize the day, but the federal government has not yet declared Juneteenth a holiday.
The Harvard College Democrats recognize and celebrate this day through the fight for social progress and racial justice. We will continue to reflect upon ways that we can better allies and how we can better uplift Black voices in our community and beyond. This fight is long from over, and we urge you to seek out ways to do your part and more.
In a similar vein to our Action Week for Racial Justice, which you can still access at bit.ly/RacialJusticeAction, we have co-sponsored an initiative for 100 days of action for racial justice. A coalition of students and student organizations have put together a guide that will take 5 minutes to complete every day for the next 100 days. It is an easy and effective way to stay involved in the campaign for racial justice. We encourage you to sign up at tinyurl.com/100actions to receive an anti-racist action every day in your inbox. Today’s email will be sent during the evening to give you some time to sign up, and there will be a recap tomorrow.
Juneteenth is an important day for celebration, remembrance, and action. These past few weeks, we’ve seen thousands upon thousands of Americans rally around the fight for racial justice — both Black Americans speaking to their experience and allies striving to listen, learn, and lift up others. In the coming weeks, months, and years, we must maintain our commitment to anti-racism through reflection, self-education, and action.
In solidarity,
The Harvard College Democrats Executive Board