06/19/2026
Today we commemorate the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were told they were free – over two YEARS after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
But freedom still didn't reach everyone. Mae Louise Miller didn't find out she was free until 1961, forced into labor until she escaped. Mae died in 2014. Her story, and her family's stories, happened within many of our lifetimes.
The delay was intentional then. The delays are intentional now.
Some never got the word at all. Don't let anyone forget.
Juneteenth isn't just a celebration of freedom granted. It's a reminder that freedom is taken, never given. The same systems that kept Mae Louise Miller in bo***ge until 1961 keep workers exploited, keep Black and Brown communities over-policed, and keep power concentrated. Honor the day by fighting for the freedom still denied. Organize. Agitate. Build community. Abolish the conditions that make liberation impossible.
Today we remember, and tomorrow we keep building a world where freedom reaches everyone.