Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️🩹🤍💙
Juneteenth Is the Blueprint for American Democracy, Do Not Let Them Erase It
Juneteenth is not just a day of celebration, it is a warning, a call to vigilance, and a blueprint for the America we still have a chance to build.
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, informing enslaved Americans they were free. That freedom was not charity. It was won through the courage, sacrifice, and resistance of Black Americans who fought for the soul of this country long before the Emancipation Proclamation reached them.
And when freedom came, it came with the promise of absolute equality, a vision embedded in the Constitution through the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. These amendments were not abstract ideals. They were forged in the fire of war, rebellion, and Reconstruction, and they declared that no state could strip away a person’s rights or deny them equal protection under the law.
This is the heart of Juneteenth, a celebration of liberation enforced by federal power to protect the rights of all. It is precisely this vision that white supremacists and former Confederates, both then and now, have always fought to destroy.
Today, that battle continues. Efforts to suppress Juneteenth celebrations in 2025 are not just cultural setbacks. They are political strategies to erode federal protections and reestablish state power as a tool of discrimination. The same arguments once used to justify slavery and Black Codes are being revived to silence history, suppress voting rights, and undermine civil rights protections.
If we lose the meaning of Juneteenth, we lose the memory of the struggle for equality. And if we lose that, we risk becoming a nation that once again sees justice as optional and freedom as conditional.
Juneteenth is a promise America made to itself. We must not let those who fear equality tear it from our hands.
Honor Juneteenth. Defend the truth. Protect democracy.
And I especially want to remember this today, and in the days that follow:
"Our history matters. Juneteenth is the celebration of a new nation, one that would honor the equality of all Americans—and one that, 160 years after it was established, we are in danger of losing as those in power set about rewriting the record."
Ms. Richardson - I love being subscribed to your Substack. However, I am being charged two times for the subscription. I don’t know how to reach you to resolve the matter other than in comments. Please advise.
Juneteenth is a stark reminder that the forces undoing our democracy have not let up. They have camouflaged it to promote anti-leftist opposition including violence, reject liberal's policies for human concerns, replace public schools with private schools to teach a small view of the world. All in the name of patriotism. In reality their days are numbered. The power of democracy, one person one vote, cannot be bottled up. The role model of oligarchy is doomed worldwide. So, the triumph of democracy today is a as refreshing thought as it was on Juneteenth, do not despair. Read, "Trojan Horse - Democracy Hijacked".
Really, fuck conservatives. Those in power in Texas and the rest of the Confederacy should have been executed, the lands of those who owned slaves should have been relocated to reservations and their lands divided amongst their former slaves. The South and their Northern supporters, northern conservatives, has been a thorn in our side for too long. They must be marginalized.
Thank you Heather - let's keep the momentum going. I wrote an anthem of NO KINGS. Hope we can sing it together as we defend democracy and fight fascism in the streets: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/no-kings-anthem
Public servant - please add this great recording to the “Voices of Dissent” project if you can.
https://services.tremho.com/vod/+
Fully agree
Fabulous!
Thank you Professor Richardson.
Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️🩹🤍💙
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk
Awesomeness Megan, thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for speaking up right now!
Juneteenth Is the Blueprint for American Democracy, Do Not Let Them Erase It
Juneteenth is not just a day of celebration, it is a warning, a call to vigilance, and a blueprint for the America we still have a chance to build.
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, informing enslaved Americans they were free. That freedom was not charity. It was won through the courage, sacrifice, and resistance of Black Americans who fought for the soul of this country long before the Emancipation Proclamation reached them.
And when freedom came, it came with the promise of absolute equality, a vision embedded in the Constitution through the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. These amendments were not abstract ideals. They were forged in the fire of war, rebellion, and Reconstruction, and they declared that no state could strip away a person’s rights or deny them equal protection under the law.
This is the heart of Juneteenth, a celebration of liberation enforced by federal power to protect the rights of all. It is precisely this vision that white supremacists and former Confederates, both then and now, have always fought to destroy.
Today, that battle continues. Efforts to suppress Juneteenth celebrations in 2025 are not just cultural setbacks. They are political strategies to erode federal protections and reestablish state power as a tool of discrimination. The same arguments once used to justify slavery and Black Codes are being revived to silence history, suppress voting rights, and undermine civil rights protections.
If we lose the meaning of Juneteenth, we lose the memory of the struggle for equality. And if we lose that, we risk becoming a nation that once again sees justice as optional and freedom as conditional.
Juneteenth is a promise America made to itself. We must not let those who fear equality tear it from our hands.
Honor Juneteenth. Defend the truth. Protect democracy.
HAPPY JUNETEENTH TO ALL !! GOD, please protect America from our current leader's crazy and scary proclamations.
Thank you Heather
I’m grateful for all you do! Thank you.
Thanks for preparing a video about Juneteenth. Super important to remember our history.
I'm with you, PK Colleran.
And I especially want to remember this today, and in the days that follow:
"Our history matters. Juneteenth is the celebration of a new nation, one that would honor the equality of all Americans—and one that, 160 years after it was established, we are in danger of losing as those in power set about rewriting the record."
~ Heather Cox Richardson
https://youtu.be/E7UaaAyPqPY?si=OedMnxXXlb0-g6lK Here's the video. Excellent 👌
Could not love this more Heather. Thank you.
Thank you for this one. I love all your educational/historical content. Thank you for sharing it.
Good one. Now, let's keep our eyes on the prize -- a warning from an Arizona State Supreme Court Justice -- "Judiciary Will Become Virtually Powerless In Protecting Your Rights If the Budget Bill Becomes Law" https://open.substack.com/pub/theunpopulist/p/the-judiciary-will-become-virtually?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=c3b0
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-seek-limit-judges-power-via-trumps-tax-cut-bill-2025-06-13/
Thank you for the thorough explanation and my history lesson. You make history come alive!
I only hope and pray we can survive Trump’s corrupt, ignorant and DANGEROUS “regime.”
You are a patriot. I hope you win a Nobel prize.
What are the three most efficacious acts of protest that one can do?
My hero!
Ms. Richardson - I love being subscribed to your Substack. However, I am being charged two times for the subscription. I don’t know how to reach you to resolve the matter other than in comments. Please advise.
Juneteenth is a stark reminder that the forces undoing our democracy have not let up. They have camouflaged it to promote anti-leftist opposition including violence, reject liberal's policies for human concerns, replace public schools with private schools to teach a small view of the world. All in the name of patriotism. In reality their days are numbered. The power of democracy, one person one vote, cannot be bottled up. The role model of oligarchy is doomed worldwide. So, the triumph of democracy today is a as refreshing thought as it was on Juneteenth, do not despair. Read, "Trojan Horse - Democracy Hijacked".
Really, fuck conservatives. Those in power in Texas and the rest of the Confederacy should have been executed, the lands of those who owned slaves should have been relocated to reservations and their lands divided amongst their former slaves. The South and their Northern supporters, northern conservatives, has been a thorn in our side for too long. They must be marginalized.