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LULAC Celebrates Juneteenth In Solidarity With Black Americans’ Historical Cry For Freedom

Nation’s Largest and Oldest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says Events in Galveston, Texas, Forever Remind Us We Must Fight for Liberty in America

Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued the following statement in observance of Juneteenth 2022. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to free the last enslaved black men, women, and children whose enslavers refused to grant them liberty. President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation weeks earlier. Still, landowners in Texas were unwilling to obey the law and told the North they would refuse until armed soldiers came to force them. Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 troops were President Lincoln’s response to cause the enslavers to obey the law.

Domingo Garcia – LULAC National President
“Galveston, Texas, where the events that led to Juneteenth took place, is not too far from the San Jacinto battlefield where enslavers fought the Mexican army to make Texas a slave country. It took courageous Americans to defeat the racist slave owners during the Civil War. Both moments in history happened because of those who would deny them their rights to own land, speak out and defend themselves as free citizens. Juneteenth needs to be shared and taught in our public schools, along with important dates in the history of Latinos. This is how our children and future generations will understand the importance of their rights and responsibilities. LULAC salutes Juneteenth, and we will press on until victory is achieved and all people, including new immigrants and refugees, are free from the slavery of fear and hate.”

Rodolfo Rosales, Jr. – Texas LULAC State Director
“Texas LULAC owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to those men, women, and children whose steadfast courage in the face of terror and threats did not diminish their faith that America would finally grant them liberty. I feel deeply sad when reflecting on how these formerly enslaved people, now Americans entitled to many of the same constitutional protections, must have felt about their former white enslavers who refused to face the truth. Today, I feel similar sadness and outrage when we see the persistence of denial, delays, and distractions some people continue to use to justify their bigotry and attempts to keep others enslaved. Juneteenth is our battle cry and our moment of jubilation as communities of color together proclaim, we are free! God Almighty, we are free!”

Sindy Benavides – LULAC National Chief Executive Officer
“As an alumna of Virginia State University, I had the opportunity to study and learn about the compelling sense of pride and understanding for the importance that Juneteenth holds in our nation’s past, present and future. There is an enduring lesson for us all, every American, whether born here or having arrived as an immigrant, documented or not. Our nation is founded on the inviolate principles of human dignity for every individual as a God-given right, not fashioned by man’s laws alone. Yet, Juneteenth also serves as a sobering reminder that there are those among us who resist and would reverse or even retract the laws that ensure liberty and freedom for all. We must not allow that, nor can we become complacent about the need to continue our daily struggle.”

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/