By Governor Gretchen Whitmer
This month, Michiganders across our state will come together to honor Black history
and celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth commemorates the moment the Emancipation
Proclamation was finally enforced in Texas at the end of the Civil War, freeing the last
enslaved people. It has since evolved to be a celebration of Black freedom, Black
excellence, and Black perseverance.
Black Michiganders have helped shape our state’s story for generations. They have
built businesses, strengthened communities, created art, served in public office, and
fought for the freedoms that we all enjoy today. Juneteenth gives us an opportunity to
celebrate those contributions but also ask ourselves what more we can do to ensure
every Michigander has a fair shot at success.
That is why my administration has worked to build the most inclusive government in
Michigan history. We have appointed more than 500 Black Michiganders to boards,
commissions, and leadership positions, ensuring that our government better reflects the
people it serves. We established the Black Leadership Advisory Council to help identify
barriers facing Black communities and recommend solutions that can create lasting
change.
We have also focused on expanding opportunity and lowering costs for families. We
signed the bipartisan CROWN Act to ban hair discrimination. We protected voting rights
and fought against efforts to make it harder for people to participate in our democracy.
We delivered free breakfast and lunch to all 1.4 million public school students, cut over
$1 billion in taxes, invested in maternal and infant health, and supported innovative
programs like RxKids that help families get ahead.
These accomplishments matter because freedom is about more than what is written in
law. Freedom means having access to opportunity. It means being able to provide for
your family, participate in your community, and know that your voice matters. As we
celebrate Juneteenth, we honor the generations who pushed our country and state
forward despite enormous obstacles.
While there will always be those who want to take us backward, together, we can
protect the progress we’ve made. Together, we will keep building a state where every
person can achieve their full potential and the promise of freedom belongs to everyone.
