Juneteenth is a celebration of ethnic harmony

This op-ed originally appeared on Fox News on June 19, 2024. 

As Black Americans across the country celebrate Juneteenth with friends, family and loved ones, we celebrate the magnificent achievement that could only be possible in our beloved homeland.

As many of you may know, Juneteenth – sometimes called "America’s second Independence Day" – marks the moment when Union troops reached Galveston, Texas, and finally liberated the last remaining enslaved Black Americans from their chains of slavery.

Every leap toward freedom should be celebrated in every generation, decade and era. Some people ask why Juneteenth is necessary and suggest that it stirs up old wounds. Nothing could be further from the truth. Juneteenth celebrates the victory of emancipation in the United States of America.

Read the full op-ed on Fox News here.