Juneteenth Must Be Marked with Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Janessa Sambola-Harris, [email protected]

WASHINGTON— Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on President Biden signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, ahead of the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth: 

“It is fitting that Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. It is an important day to celebrate freedom for all Americans by commemorating the end of chattel slavery in the United States. However, concrete legislative action is needed to remedy the historic wrongs wrought by white supremacy. Congress must pass meaningful legislation on the critical issues that affect the daily lives of Black people in America. In honor of Emancipation, we must rectify the more than four centuries of enslavement, systemic racism, and economic violence through reparations, truth, and racial healing.”

BACKGROUND
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights outlined priorities for the Biden-Harris administration and the 117th Congress to address the systemic inequities exacerbated by the previous administration and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These priorities include transforming the criminal-legal system;  protecting the freedom to vote; and addressing unjust and inequitable housing, employment, and education policies and practices.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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