Juneteenth

{NAME},  The earliest enslaved people were brought to Arkansas in 1720, nearly a century before it was established as a territory and 116 years before Arkansas was admitted to the union. By the start of the Civil War, nearly one quarter of the state’s population was enslaved – about 111,000 people. My ancestors, who were in Arkansas in the late 1700s, built this state with their own blood and sweat, and the message of emancipation literally meant everything to them. We all learned about the Emancipation Proclamation in school but, as you may know by now, the story did not end with “Lincoln freed the slaves.” Millions of Black Americans remained enslaved throughout and even beyond the Civil War. And when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in June of 1865 – 900 days after Lincoln’s order and more than two months after the end of the war – they found a quarter million people still held in bondage. Today we celebrate Juneteenth – the true end of slavery, and the beginning of our continued struggle for liberation. As my youngest daughter recites President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation at a Juneteenth celebration, and as we remember the real pain of our past, we cannot overlook the fact that some elected officials are trying to erase our history. My schoolteachers never told us the full story. It’s possible they didn’t even know. Now, if some of our lawmakers get their way, no school will be permitted to teach the history of Juneteenth. They can try to ban our books. They can try to stop us from speaking the truth. They can try to erase our history – but they can’t erase me. That history is part of who I am. The story of Black liberation did not end with President Lincoln’s proclamation. It did not end with Jim Crow. It did not end with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. And it is not over now. It’s a living breathing history and a continuous process – an endeavor I am honored to share with each of you. Today we celebrate Juneteenth in honor of those enslaved Americans who were finally liberated more than two and a half years after Lincoln signed the order that set them free. While we celebrate the progress we have made, we are also reminded that there is much work to be done. Last year, I became the first Black major party nominee for Arkansas governor. I’m proud of the movement we built in our campaign, and proud to continue that work today through Vortex alongside each of you. Thank you, Chris Jones [Contribute to Vortex PACÂ](      Vortex PAC is a new grassroots movement to transform Arkansas politics away from the far-right. We are recruiting, training, and supporting Democratic candidates to flip all four of Arkansas’ U.S. congressional districts and help win back the House majority in 2024. [DONATE >>](   Paid for by Vortex PAC  ©2023 Vortex PAC, all rights reserved  Our mailing address is: Vortex PAC PO Box 1141 Springdale, AR 72765 We're sad to see you go, but if you believe you received this email in error, or you no longer wish to receive our emails you can unsubscribe using the link below: [Click here to unsubscribe.]( Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Vortex PAC, please [click here](.