On Juneteenth, Michelle Obama took to social media to talk about the important holiday and explain what it really means to her. Furthermore, she had some advice on how people should celebrate it, which is by using their ‘voices and votes’ to enact positive change in America.

The former First Lady of the United States talked in detail about the milestone in American history, marking the day, in 1865, that slaves in Galveston, Texas were officially freed.

This came no less than two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Michelle posted a letter on her Twitter account that started with her saying: ‘What I love about Juneteenth is that even during that extended wait, we still find something to celebrate. Even though the story’s never been tidy, and Black folks have had to march and to fight for every single inch of our freedom, our story’s nonetheless one of progress.’

She went on to mention that her grandfathers were both the grandchildren of slaves and that they spent their early years in the Jim Crow south.

Of course, it was definitely not easy but they still persevered ‘with dignity and purpose.’

Michelle mentioned that they even voted in every single election at the time, making sure to use their voices for the bettering of the community as much as they could.

‘Though they did not live to see it themselves, I can imagine the smiles on their faces knowing their great-granddaughters ended up playing ball in the halls of the White House — a structure built by enslaved Americans,’ she wrote, referring to her and Barack’s two daughters living and, of course, playing at the White House, thanks to their dad becoming the first black president in America!

Here's what #Juneteenth means to me: pic.twitter.com/KlOoYwdzD5

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 19, 2020

Michelle then encouraged all citizens to do what her grandfathers did a long time ago and vote.

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‘All across the country, there are so many parts to this story — the generations of families whose service and protest has led us forward, even if the promise we seek is delayed. This Juneteenth, let’s pledge to keep using our voices — and votes — to keep that story marching forward for our own children, and theirs,’ she wrote, referring to the BLM protests.

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