AFSCME praises bipartisan action to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday

WASHINGTON — Ahead of the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth, AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement:

“We applaud the Senate and House of Representatives for voting to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday, an important bipartisan statement of our values that recognizes how far we have come, but also how far we have yet to go in the struggle for equality.

“As we continue to reckon with our nation’s history of discrimination and violence against African Americans, it is past time that we honor the struggle of African Americans who successfully freed themselves from the bonds of slavery and their descendants who continue to fight for equal rights and freedoms for everyone.”

“We must now work, on Juneteenth and every other day, to educate our communities about the difficult truths of our past. Only then can we successfully mobilize to combat the deep-seated racism and indifference that persists today.”