London Lamar: U.S. must close the gap from slavery to 'absolute equality' | Opinion

This is part of an opinion series examining Juneteenth. The USA TODAY Network Tennessee invited Black leaders and influencers to share their thoughts on lessons learned and lessons yet to be learned.

Can you imagine being in Galveston, Texas in 1865 when the Union troops arrived to read and enforce General Order No. 3?

“All slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights ...” the order reads.

Following the shock, disbelief, excitement and joy, must have been confusion and, perhaps, desperation.

It would be decades before many formerly enslaved Black folks, or their children, would have real agency over their lives, access to meaningful public services or freedom from oppressive laws and the terror of white supremacy.

In many important ways, our nation still has work to do to achieve the Juneteenth promise of ”absolute equality” for Black Americans.

Juneteenth is an opportunity to reflect on the capacity that families then and now have to build a good life and contribute to their community. For me, that means looking at the economic opportunities available to working Tennesseans.

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Poverty disproportionately affects Black families in Tennessee

Right now, all families, white, Black and brown, are struggling with affordable housing, rising energy prices and child care.

But by almost any measure of economic prosperity, Black families will still trail their white counterparts even more — from wealth and health to safety and education achievement.

Our country never closed the gap from slavery to absolute equality. In fact, many state governments enacted road blocks to keep Black families from attaining success and the consequences of this institutional racism reverberate through every facet of our lives still today.

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In 2020, the US poverty rate increased by 3.3 million people from 2019 to 2020, according to the U.S. Census. Forbes reports that 15.2% of Tennesseans live below the poverty line. If poverty metrics were adjusted for inflation, we know that many more Tennesseans would fall below the poverty line.

The crisis is even more stark when we look at the breakdown among racial groups. In 2020, 23.8% of Black Tennesseans were in poverty compared to 10.2% of White Tennesseans. 19.6% of Hispanic Tennesseans were in poverty compared to the same group.

Today, every hardworking family should have the tools and opportunity to thrive. Families need good paying jobs so that they can provide for themselves. We should not live in a world where parents are working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. One unexpected cost should not drive our families into debt.

As we reflect on Juneteenth, let’s dedicate ourselves to ridding our society, laws and economy of every man-made barrier that has held Black families back.

The promise of Juneteenth is that every American has the ability to live a choice-filled life. That is only possible with robust economic opportunity.  Absolute equality is possible and it’s a promise we should keep.

Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, represents state Senate District 33 (part of Shelby County) in the Tennessee General Assembly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Juneteenth: U.S. must close gap from slavery to 'absolute equality'