On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger led a contingent of Union soldiers into Galveston, Texas to inform its citizens that slavery had been abolished. Two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation and less than six months before emancipation officially became national policy, the last Confederate bastion ended the inhuman practice of slavery – and more than 250,000 Black people in Texas were granted their freedom.

Juneteenth is a day to reflect and remember – and also to learn from – our nation’s abhorrent history of slavery and its lasting legacy of human suffering. As painful as it is, as a nation and as individuals, we must confront certain uncomfortable truths:

Racism is violence.

Racism is trauma.

Racism is systemic dehumanization.

Racism is injustice.

Racism is immoral.

And perhaps the hardest truth of all:

Racism is embedded in our nation’s history.

The harsh reality is that Black people were enslaved and dehumanized for the financial enrichment of others. Even after slavery was abolished in this country, racial inequity and systemic discrimination continued – first explicitly, then implicitly – and continues to this day.
Four centuries of racial oppression denied rights and opportunities to tens of millions of people of African descent. Countless people not only lost their livelihoods, but they lost their lives. One of the lasting consequences of systemic racism was that it created and perpetuated conditions of poverty in communities of color by economically disempowering Black and brown people. This was not by accident – it was by design.

Whether it’s housing, health care, employment, child welfare, education, public benefits, family law, immigration, or criminal justice – the lasting economic and social impact of racial inequity remains 157 years after the last remaining enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were liberated on June 19, 1885. This is why dismantling racist systems and policies is so critical to the work of anti-poverty advocates, and to all people who believe in justice.

So where do we go from here? One thing is clear: The burden of correcting the wrongs of the past should not be borne solely by our Black and brown communities; they have been fighting against oppression for centuries. Creating a society that is true to America’s stated values of fairness, opportunity, and justice for all is a collective responsibility that we all share. It is especially important for anti-poverty and social justice advocates to work collaboratively and closely with communities of color and be true allies in our collective fight for racial justice. This is why MLRI has adopted a community-driven racial justice lens and an anti-racist framework that guides our advocacy.

Our nation has made progress, and we should celebrate that progress. In the last 15 years alone, we have elected our first Black president and our first Black and South Asian woman Vice President. The first Latina and first Black woman have been appointed justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. These are important milestones, but we still have a long way to go to achieve genuine equity. Acknowledging our national moral failures of poverty and racism is not un-American or unpatriotic. To the contrary, everyone who truly loves this country and who believes we can and must live up to our stated values must be willing to confront our past and commit to working together to build a better Commonwealth and a better nation for all.

Advancing anti-racist policies and practices is not only a collective responsibility, but it is also a moral imperative. It is an immense challenge but also a profound opportunity for all of us. 157 years ago on June 19, the last remaining enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were liberated. I am confident and hopeful that the quest for justice for all will ultimately prevail and that our nation will one day be freed from the scourge of racism and racial injustice that has plagued us for four centuries. It is up to all of us – let’s make it happen.

In solidarity,

Georgia D. Katsoulomitis
Executive Director