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NALC President Brian L. Renfroe issued the following statement regarding the Juneteenth holiday:

Today, NALC joins all Americans in honoring and celebrating Juneteenth, a national holiday that commemorates the final emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.

On this day in 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to finally enforce President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – more than two years after it was issued. This monumental and historic day has long been celebrated in the African American community, and thankfully, is now celebrated by all Americans after it became a federal holiday in 2021.

This day marking abolition and freedom is a time for celebration, reflection and reconciliation. We cannot shy away from our nation’s painful legacy of slavery. Black Americans and other people of color have experienced this pain in our nation’s past, which has helped shape our present. As we honor them and celebrate freedom on this day, NALC reaffirms our commitment to continuing our work toward true racial equality in our workplace, our union and in America.

On behalf of NALC, I wish everyone a happy Juneteenth.