Today I’m grateful for the ability to come and go freely. But I’m also sobered by the truth that, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, people like me weren’t free. We had no personal agency.
As a foster kid, I didn’t always feel free. But I loved the Fourth fireworks, food, laughter, the sense of belonging to something bigger. In college, I’d find myself on a farm, wide skies overhead, celebrating a dream not yet fully realized.
America’s story is layered. The freedom we cherish today has been expanded through sacrifice, especially for Black Americans. Juneteenth reminds us that liberty for all came late, and only after struggle.
That doesn’t diminish our celebration, it deepens it. We celebrate not only where we’ve been, but where we’re going: toward a broader, more inclusive freedom.