Rep. Shelia Stubbs Participates in Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus Juneteenth Celebration at the State Capitol
MADISON, WI – Today, the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus held its annual Juneteenth Celebration at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“Today, I had the honor of participating in the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus Juneteenth Celebration. The theme for this year’s celebration, “What Freedom Looks Like: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow” reflects our ongoing vision for a brighter future for Black Wisconsinites and celebrates the leaders who continue the fight for equity, dignity, and visibility for all.
I began our program today by leading a moment of silence in honor and remembrance of President and CEO Michael Johnson of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, who sadly passed away unexpectedly on June 7, 2026. Mr. Johnson left behind a lifelong legacy of leadership, generosity, innovation, and community investment that can never be truly replicated.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the One City Scholar Drummers, Pastor Sherrick G. Anderson of Higher Ground Christian Center, who performed the invocation, Dr. Ademola Iyi-Eweka, who performed the libation ceremony, Michelle Bozeman-Brown, who performed the Black National Anthem, and our honoree, City of Menomonie Ward 8 Alderperson Camden Hargrove, for all their contributions to today’s program.
I also would like to recognize and thank Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus Chair Senator Dora Drake and my fellow members of the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus for making this celebration possible.
Additionally, I would like to thank everyone in the audience who joined us in celebrating Juneteenth and commemorating the freedom of enslaved African Americans.
As we reflect on this year’s theme, we recognize that the continued pursuit of freedom did not stop with the end of slavery. Although June 19, 1865 marks the formal declaration of freedom for all previously enslaved Americans, African Americans continued to experience persecution, discrimination, and social, economic, and political disenfranchisement—barriers that were broken by the dedicated efforts of countless Civil Rights activists and advocates.
Today, we pay our respects to our ancestors and honor the profound sacrifices they made to fight for our civil rights and civil liberties in spite of centuries of oppression.
We take this occasion to celebrate our freedom and recognize that we are the embodiment of our ancestors’ greatest hopes and dreams. It is our responsibility to carry their legacy forward and continue to lift up the names of the leaders and trailblazers who have come before us, like Ms. Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth, or Reverend Dr. Ronald Myers, the Father of the Modern Day Juneteenth movement.
Our work is not done. We must continue, together, to keep Juneteenth’s enduring promise of liberty and progress alive for countless generations to come.
In the words of the late Civil Rights activist Ms. Dorothy Height, ‘We must always be a strong presence, an unrelenting force working for equality and justice until the freedom gates are fully open.’
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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