LULAC Says Juneteenth Reminds Us Freedom Takes Action
Nation’s Largest and Oldest Civil Rights Organization Says June 19, 1865 Was Freedom Day Long Overdue
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today issued the following statement in commemoration of Juneteenth, a day to remember when slaves in Texas first learned they had been declared free two-and-half years earlier upon President Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Confederate leaders refused to release the slaves until the South finally surrendered, and some landowners fought even longer.
Sindy Benavides - LULAC National Chief Executive Officer
“LULAC today honors this special day in our nation’s history because it reminds us that freedom requires action. The men, women and children in Texas who first learned about their long-awaited release from bondage, did so only because Union soldiers traveled to Galveston on the Gulf Coast and told them they were free to go. Without that act, untold numbers of slaves might have never learned that the day of freedom had taken place long before then. They were entitled to live as individuals and families who could now decide their own future and find their own opportunities in this land to which they had been forcibly brought.
The same is true today. LULAC is a voice that reminds our elected leaders and others that freedom is for all and that America’s story must be narrated with our voices and experiences included. We cannot erase our history nor forget the many contributions by communities of color that have been altogether missed by our history books. May this Juneteenth be that moment of amplifying the freedom shout through our own voices. May each of us remember we too, can take action to make sure freedom’s sound reaches all peoples throughout the land. LULAC advocacy and programs shall continue to offer those opportunities and invites you to join us.”
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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest Hispanic 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 the critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/