Refugee Congress Celebrates Juneteenth
For Immediate Release: June 19, 2022
WASHINGTON–On this Juneteenth, Refugee Congress proudly celebrates freedom and resilience.
Juneteenth marks the day when thousands of enslaved peoples in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of their freedom, a full two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation declared that “all persons held as slaves…are and henceforward shall be free." It has long been marked by Black Americans as an important day recognizing emancipation and was recognized as a federal holiday for the first time last year.
As a diverse community of refugees and asylees, our members share the common experience of fleeing violence and persecution based on our racial and ethnic identity, political affiliations or religious beliefs. We are deeply grateful to Black Americans who have resisted oppression and who continue to resist to make the promise of human equality a reality for all.
We are proud that our country now officially recognizes Juneteenth, but there is much more work to be done. We pledge to continue to work to dismantle the systems that maintain racial injustice and white privilege.
"The fight of our ancestors towards freedom took years to achieve. Today we celebrate years of their struggles, hope for a better tomorrow, and inspiration to never give up and keep striving for better.” said Sharon Njie, Refugee Congress Delegate for Louisiana.
“Juneteenth commemorates the national reflection on freedom from slavery in the United States. On that historic day, June 19, 1865, after the Civil War, Black people still enslaved were liberated and legally free. Today, however, every single American is humiliated, living in chains under the acts of violence and murders of innocent children by easy access guns. On this great day, we commemorate the fall of slavery, and I call on all Americans to join the efforts to stop the bloody violence and psychological abuse. We have to hold Congress, weapon manufacturers and arms dealers to higher standards,” said Khamisa Abdalla, Refugee Congress Delegate for Nebraska.
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Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by former refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants to promote the well-being, integration and dignity of all vulnerable migrants. With delegates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we use our voices and experiences to inform and influence decision-makers on critical domestic and international issues that affect our communities.
MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 905-6238, media@refugeecongress.org
