Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement commemorating Juneteenth. Senator Cortez Masto has cosponsored a resolution recognizing June 19th, 2020 as Juneteenth Independence Day in observance of June 19, 1865, the date on which news of the end of slavery reached the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas.
“This year, as we mark Juneteenth, we are reminded that the promise of freedom and liberation for African-Americans remains elusive, and that our focus must continue to be on what Martin Luther King, Jr. called ‘the fierce urgency of now’ in making meaningful change. But celebration can be a revolutionary act. The women and men who celebrated the first Juneteenth in the heat of a Texas summer knew that the future held countless obstacles—yet they also held out hope for the future. On this Juneteenth, I honor the rich achievements of Black Nevadans in building a better future, and I promise to continue to work side by side with communities of color in the Silver State to make sure that every Nevadan can thrive.”
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