“Making Juneteenth a national holiday would serve several purposes. First, it would highlight freedom. While Confederate monuments should come down, that’s only part of what healing from the racial wounds of slavery and racism entails. Positive reminders of the struggle for freedom must be created. Second, it would commemorate one of the most important historical events in US history. The Emancipation Proclamation opened the way for further legislation designed to grant black people their civil and human rights such as the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments. Emancipation is a singular moment in US history, and making Juneteenth a national holiday would help solidify their reality that black history is American history. Third, celebrating Juneteenth as a national holiday would remind us how far we’ve come and how far we have left to go. This commemoration would both amplify the agency of black people in securing the end of race-based chattel slavery while also motivating present-day activism for securing the full independence and equality of all people.” - Jemar Tisby, The Color of Compromise