Press Releases

WILMINGTON, DE - Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) issued the following statement in recognition of Juneteenth. 

“155 years ago, today, federal orders were read out in Galveston, Texas to set the last of our enslaved ancestors free. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Lincoln nearly two and a half years earlier, but the true emancipation of enslaved people in this country took much longer. Juneteenth is an opportunity to reflect on our history and celebrate our emancipation, but in 2020 it is so much more.   

We have seen the visceral legacy of systemic racism that emerged from our history of enslaving Black people. And on this Juneteenth, we are reminded that until we address the fundamental and systemic inequities in our society, we will never truly all be free. Today, we commit to fighting for equal access to health care, housing, education, and jobs. We commit to fighting for equal justice under the law and the accountability of those who would deny it. And we commit to the work of building our more perfect union.”