Dear UFCW Local 1776 members,
President Biden and the United States Congress deserve our thanks for enacting legislation to commemorate Juneteenth, the national remembrance of the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday. They have delivered a message that can help us acknowledge that slavery was a painful injustice, one that cost tens of thousands of lives, destroyed families and deep scars that are with us today. This action was long overdue, and every American should applaud it.
At the same time, I am hopeful that our new national holiday can help unify all Americans. I believe that the celebration of Juneteenth should be a solemn reminder of this horrible chapter in our nation’s history, and a new opportunity for Americans to respect one another, no matter the color of a person’s skin; or their political beliefs.
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas, issued General Order No. 3, which followed the Emancipation Proclamation, and announced that “all slaves are free.” Months later, the 13th Amendment was ratified.
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I was especially moved by the fact that activist Opal Lee joined President Biden when he signed the measure into law. In 2016 Opal, who is now 94, walked from Fort Worth Texas to Washington, D.C. to rally support for naming Juneteenth named a national holiday. This week, before signing the bill into law, President Biden greeted Opal at the White House and got down on one knee to thank her for work.
I have often noted that our Local is, in many ways, a snapshot or our nation. We have an incredibly diverse membership. Our members work in a broad and growing array of industry sectors, from grocery stores in our cities to food processing in rural areas. Our jurisdiction includes major cities, the suburbs and farm country. One of our most important initiatives is the Union Citizenship Action Network (UCAN) program, which helps our members with the complex immigration system, connecting them with legal counsel and other assistance necessary to become citizens.
Our Local and our nation is stronger because of our diversity. I am hoping that this new holiday will help all Americans give our fellow citizens the respect they deserve. This new holiday should serve as a reminder and an inspiration for all of us.
Thank you for your time and, please, take just a few moments today to mark this new holiday.
In solidarity,
Wendell Young IV
President
