As a child, I remember the last line of the Star-Spangled Banner lingering in my mind: “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

At that time, largely due to my childhood naivete, I didn’t realize that Americans who looked like me were still considered chattel in the United States when the patriotic song was penned in 1814.

Almost five decades later in 1863, slavery in America ended with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. But slavery didn’t end for all. The news of freedom didn’t reach some for two whole years.

It wasn’t until Union soldiers came to Texas on June 19, 1865, that America became the land of the free-ish and the home of the brave. Immediately after receiving the news, former slaves began to celebrate their newfound freedom.

Juneteenth is a holiday that commemorates that historic day, a day when all of God’s image-bearers were no longer enslaved in the Land of Opportunity.

As Christians, we are called to empathize with all of God’s children. The Bible tells us to celebrate with those who are rejoicing. Juneteenth, that honors human resilience in the face of insurmountable odds, is a reminder that we’re all created in God’s image and we’re all called fight for racial equality as ambassadors for Christ.