Stacey Abrams Says Juneteenth Is More Than Just a Celebration

In an interview with Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts at the Tribeca Festival, Stacey Abrams, who was there to accept the festival’s inaugural Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award, shared her thoughts on the meaning of Juneteenth.

The Georgia politician, who played a significant role in getting her state to elect Democrats in the 2020 election, said that the date, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Texans and was declared a national holiday on Thursday, is more than just “a celebration” to her. Per Deadline:

It’s important that we remember that this isn’t a celebration about the end of slavery alone. It is about justice delayed and nearly denied. That for two years, even though the institution had been ended, we still found so many of our brothers and sisters held in captivity and bondage. Juneteenth is about how we reclaim this place in our nation. How we are obliged to remember that the fight for justice doesn’t change simply when the rules change, or when someone else is elected. That the responsibility of pursuing justice remains every single day.