Juneteenth and the Promise of Religious Freedom

From a Medium post for The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom:

“African Americans have always understood the importance of the promises of the Constitution — the freedom to assemble meant Southern Blacks could join the NAACP without fear of losing their jobs; the freedom to vote meant Fannie Lou Hamer could challenge the president on national TV; the freedom to worship meant the ability to mobilize parishioners to serve the poor, transform communities, and get souls to the polls. The Constitution gave power to our dreams for ourselves and our futures.

Juneteenth is the day the nation our Framers envisioned was born. It was our country’s first true steps toward what Rep. Barbara Jordan called “an America as good as its promise.” Juneteenth is a holiday for all of us, because as the last of the formerly enslaved were freed from their bondage, they began making their way as perfecters of this union.”

Read the full piece here.