Legislatively Speaking
By Senator, Lena C. Taylor
A Renewed Commitment to Racial Equity and Inclusion
Lena C. Taylor
June 19, 1865, is known as “Emancipation” or “Freedom” Day for African-Americans. This was the day that the remaining enslaved Africans, being held in the United States finally received word that they had been set free. More than two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation Order, which took effect in 1863, June 19th, became known as “Juneteenth”. Recognized as the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery, I co-authored and passed legislation in 2009 making Juneteenth Day a legal, official holiday in Wisconsin. It is also why I offered a resolution this year to officially make June 19th “Juneteenth Day”.
The day, for me, serves as a reminder of the constant fight for basic human rights. Whether talking about the Atlantic Slave Trade, which included people enslaved and sent to South America, the Caribbean as well as North America, or the American Slave Trade, which today we would call human trafficking, the number of African lives stolen, lost or sold are simply staggering. Roughly 10.7 million people survived the passage from their homeland between 1500 and 1866, an estimated 4 million people lived in slavery at the time of the Civil war, but the number of lives lost has yet to be accurately reflected. Lives were lost, sold, stolen in the name of greed, control and a basic unwillingness to respect the humanity in us all.
It has been and continues to be a struggle to attain equity and inclusion, for all people. While there are have been many victories, such as the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Brown v. Board of Education, Civil Right Act, and the Fair housing movements, we know that we are faced with renewed efforts to suppress the full participation of every citizen in our democracy. The efforts to roll back the clock on voting equality, participation, and inclusion is designed to negatively silence the voice of African-Americans and minority groups, as well as lower-income, and elderly populations. Whether through the use of photo-id, redistricting and unfair district maps, the assaults to voting rights are pervasive. Though these actions are currently being challenged in the courts, we must remember that freedom isn’t free.
Juneteenth reminds us that lives were lost, justice was delayed, and that the price paid to participate, as equals, in this nation has come with a heavy toll. However, Juneteenth also reminds us that that even in our nation’s darkest hour, there were torch bearers, like Harriet Tubman utilizing the Underground Railroad to get others to freedom or places such as Wisconsin’s own, Milton House, which operated as a stop on the Underground Railroad from 1844 through the Civil War.
Freedom, racial equity and inclusion requires constant vigilance and work to ensure its protection. Therefore, it was great to see that so many people continue to value the importance of celebrating Juneteenth. I thank the organizers, businesses and organizations, elected officials, and most importantly, community members who continue to make Milwaukee a national leader in observing this historic annual event.