Juneteenth is the day that Texas proclaimed all slaves free and to this day it is a celebration of freedom among African American communities. Slavery has ended but there continues to be systematic racism in our country as well as underrepresented African American neighborhoods. There are many organizations and people in Milwaukee fighting for liberation and equality. These are only a few of our local heroes, but today is the day they should be recognized. Take today to learn about the causes they fight for.

Here are their names and organizations in order from left to right:

Brenda Coley of Milwaukee Water Commons

Cendi Trujillo Tena of Leaders Igniting Transformation

Kwabena Antoine Nixon: www.sensitivewarsongz.com

Antonio Butts of Walnut Way

Markasa Tucker of Wisconsin Voices

Angela Lang of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities

Fidel Verdin and Shalina S. Ali of True Skool

Supreme Moore Omokunde, representative of District 10 of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors

Andre Lee Ellis of We Got This