Good morning everyone.

For Juneteenth, here is a simple fact about me: I was born in Toronto on June 14, 1962. On the day of my birth, my parents’ marriage was illegal in sixteen US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

I have spent my life reflecting upon the fact that to a large part of America, I am evidence of a great crime, and that to this day, that part of America abhors me and did everything in their power to prevent people like me from even existing. This is not history in a book or in Wikipedia, it is my lived experience.

Slavery was made illegal in 1865, but the struggle continues. The laws that made my existence a felony were ruled unconstitutional in 1967, but the struggle continues. It is such a simple thing to hope for: To be born, grow up, and even grow old, knowing that your right to exist is accepted without debate and division.

Thank you for reading this. I send my heartfelt thanks to everyone working for change today.