America turns 250 years old in just a few days, and that milestone deserves both celebration
and contemplation.
The Fourth of July marks the birth of a bold idea: that liberty belongs to all and that every person
is endowed with dignity and inalienable rights. Juneteenth reminds us that the journey from
declaration to realization has never been automatic. One holiday announces the promise, and
the other challenges us to fulfill it.
I have often said that only God could arrange a calendar like this: before we celebrate
Independence Day, we must first pass through Juneteenth. That is not an accident. Both
holidays tell the truth about America – the juxtaposition between its soaring ideas and its
unfinished work. Because the harsh reality is that unless we get Juneteenth right, we will never
get the Fourth of July right.
Despite the belief of the misguided few, the genius of America has never been that we arrived;
the genius of America is that generation after generation, ordinary people have pushed this
nation closer to what it said it wanted to be.
And so, with gratitude for how far we have come, we must confess: we ain’t there yet.
We ain’t there yet because children inherit unequal education and opportunities due to their ZIP
codes. We ain’t there yet because working families cannot afford housing in the communities
they have called and hope to continue to call home. We ain’t there yet because voting rights are
being gutted and contested, millions have been dropped from their healthcare, and for
thousands more, it remains inaccessible. We ain’t there yet because justice is experienced
differently depending upon the color of one’s skin and the size of one’s bank account.
This is what July 4th and Juneteenth teach us. It teaches us that Liberty is for every one of us to
have a right to a seat at the table. It teaches us that all of us should experience freedom and the
true meaning of this country—not just some of us, not just those with the right ZIP code or the
right amount in the bank.
That is why we stand on the strong shoulders of Dr. Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth,
whose faithful persistence helped the nation remember that freedom delayed is freedom denied.
She showed us what courage looks like. She showed us what endurance looks like. She
showed us that you never give up—you keep fighting, and you keep believing.
That same spirit is what this moment asks of us again.
Because when we get Juneteenth right, we get economic security through economic justice for
all of us. When we get Juneteenth right, we get health equity through environmental justice.
When we get Juneteenth right, we end the war on othering, the war that makes our neighbors
feel they ain’t truly part of this family, this nation, this promise.
That is why I believe we must bring outside voices to the House. The wisdom that can heal our
nation is not confined to marble halls and corridors of power. It lives in neighborhoods,
sanctuaries, classrooms, union halls, and around kitchen tables.
Despite turning 250 years old, these yet to be United States are still becoming.
And if we have the courage to listen to one another, to love justice, and to stand with those too
often left outside, then together we can help this nation become what Dr. King called the
Beloved Community.
Until then, we celebrate, but we do so like those who once stood in a storm to hear Dr. King
preach from the mountaintop; we go on anyhow. We remember with honesty. We keep
marching, keep building, and keep believing.
Because, by God’s grace, we have come a mighty long way.
But, we ain’t there yet!
