Juneteenth Special Tee

One Nation, Built on Betrayal

From the moment the ink dried on the Declaration of Independence, the promise of liberty and justice for all was marred by the brutal reality of enslavement. America’s founding was built on a paradox — a nation proclaiming freedom while denying it to millions. The land of opportunity became a land of oppression for the very people who built it. Betrayal was woven into the fabric of the Constitution, as the rights of Black men, women, and children were traded for power and profit. Yet, amid centuries of systemic violence and broken promises, there emerged a day of delayed freedom: Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the last enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free. Juneteenth is a celebration of liberation, a testament to resilience, and a reminder that the fight for true freedom continues in a nation still reckoning with its origins of betrayal.