Bennet Marks 155th Anniversary of Juneteenth

Denver – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement in commemoration of Juneteenth, which marks the day that Major General Gordon Granger brought news of the Emancipation Proclamation to the residents of Galveston, Texas. News of the proclamation had previously been suppressed by enslavers in parts of Confederate territory.

“Slavery and the injustices black Americans face have been with us since before America’s founding and have left an indelible stain on our country’s history. You can draw a straight line from slavery to Jim Crow to the redlining of our banking and housing systems to mass incarceration to the recent killings of black people by police in Georgia, Minnesota, and elsewhere. 

“Today, on Juneteenth, we are reminded that we must put an end to the systemic inequality perpetuated by our institutions in so many areas including, housing, health care, education, economic opportunity, and our criminal justice system.

“Free people do not remain free by denying freedom to others. We will never heal as a country until we fully confront and dismantle the systemic racism that plagues every aspect of our society. True freedom and equality must start with building a country and a government that strives with every action to undo the legacy that the atrocities of slavery and racism have left.”