MILWAUKEE, Wis. — To recognize and commemorate Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when some of the last slaves in the country were told of the Emancipation Proclamation, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Vice-Chair Felesia Martin issued the following statement:
“The history of slavery is an abomination that we will never let go of — nor should we. It was a practice that was normalized as a backbone of our country’s class system and economy; but that torture stripped away the very meaning of what it meant to be human. It wasn’t until this day, 160 years ago in Galveston, Texas, that the words of the Emancipation Proclamation reached some of the final plantations and slaves.
“In no way have we moved past the legacy of slavery and the lasting damage it has caused to communities of color. But there is no doubt that we have made progress and continue to move in the right direction — and that is what we celebrate today. We have persevered and risen up despite all the odds being stacked up against us time and again, and we have woven ourselves into the fabric of this country, not as slaves, but as a remarkable cultural force that has dictated our trajectory.
“From entrepreneurship to food to the arts, so many aspects of our culture have become engrained in communities across Wisconsin and our country. And the very progress we can all celebrate, whether that be increasing access to affordable and quality health care, workers rights, and protecting reproductive freedom, is due to Black voters, and in particular, Black women. Despite being some of the last people to get the right to vote, we have been the reason, time and again, that we have elected leaders who want to continue pushing us in the right direction against those who would rather drag us back in time.
“We mourn our horrific history and its impact, but we celebrate our strength and resilience in moving forward to a better future.”
