Juneteenth marks the final vestige of chattel slavery in the United States, and was formally designated as a national holiday in 2021.

The current administration’s attacks on the basic freedoms of American citizens make Juneteenth more important than ever. 

On Monday, the week of Juneteenth, a very significant action was taken by the NAACP, one of the more conservative civil rights organizations.

The NAACP has broken a 116-year tradition of inviting the sitting president to their National Convention by publicly announcing that Donal Trump will not be invited.

Current NAACP President Derrick Johnson announced, “We’re nonpartisan and always welcome those who believe in democracy and the Constitution.”

He also stated, “To that end, the NAACP has made the decision to break with tradition and not invite Donald Trump or J.D. Vance this year. This administration does not respect the Constitution or the rule of law. It would be a waste of our time and energy to give a platform to fascism, which would be unacceptable.”

We commemorate Juneteenth as a step forward on our nation’s continuing journey toward “a more perfect union” as promised in the Constitution. Today, that union remains far from perfect. Authoritarian forces would rip to shreds the gains we have made, and reshape the very foundations of our democratic republic.

This is the time for everyone to be inspired and motivated to act by the resilience of formerly enslaved citizens in the pursuit of “liberty and justice for all.”

PDA has always prioritized racial and economic justice, our democratic founding principles, and the rule of law. We strive to elect bold progressives who will fight for all of us, and we hold elected officials accountable for their actions. Join our Campaign to Victory organizing call tonight to find out how you can help!

Campaign to Victory Call
Thursday, June 19
9pm ET/8pm CT/7pm MT/6pm PT+AZ
Register here and the machine will email you your secure codes.

You’ll leave energized, organized, and more hopeful. Invite your progressive friends! All are welcome.

Harambee (let’s pull together)!!

Maryam Ar-Raheem and Debra Schrishuhn for the PDA National Team