Katy for Kansas
June 21, 2026 · Newsletter
Juneteenth, Defending Freedom, and Championing Truth
It’s no secret that a large part of why I was asked to run for Congress here in Kansas’ Fourth District was due to my work with the civic engagement organization Leading Kansas. Two of the core tenets of Leading Kansas are defending freedom and championing truth. Those principles have carried over into my campaign and, in honor of Juneteenth, they are what I’d like to focus on today. After all, Juneteenth commemorates the day enslaved Americans in Texas finally learned they were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It is both a celebration of freedom and a reminder of the importance of telling the truth about our history.
So, what does defending freedom look like? Often, in our history, it has looked a lot like ordinary people who decide that the future is worth fighting for. Once those people begin fighting for a better future, they are often called activists, and throughout America’s history, whenever we have undergone significant social progress, it is almost always the result of activists on the front lines pushing for that change.
Who were the activists? They were the patriots dropping tea in the Boston Harbor. They were the abolitionists fighting to end slavery. They were the suffragettes organizing for a woman’s right to vote. They were the brave men and women crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge to advance civil rights and voting rights. They were our courageous brothers and sisters who rose up after the Stonewall Revolution to demand dignity and the freedom to be who they are and love who they love. Those—and so many others—were the folks defending freedom in our history.
But we are in another moment that requires us to all stand up and defend freedom—because history has its eyes on us in this moment. Our fundamental freedoms are being rolled back in broad daylight. Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to access reproductive healthcare lasted 50 years before it fell. The Voting Rights Act protected Americans fundamental right to vote for a mere six decades before the Supreme Court functionally nullified it. I do not want to find out what’s next. That is why I am in this race.
Decades from now, when my kids ask me what I did to defend their freedom when democracy was on the line, I want to be able to look them in the eyes and say “I did everything I could.” That’s what all of us need to do in this moment. So, if you are one of those folks who has been sitting on the sidelines, wondering whether you have a role to play, I am here to tell you to get in the game. Sign up to work the polls, educate your neighbors about what’s on the ballot, and stay vigilant in this moment. Ordinary people can make a difference—in fact, if history is any indication, they are often the only ones who have.
Now, when it comes to championing truth, I want to share a story from the campaign trail this weekend. While I was working my campaign booth at the Juneteenth festival in Wichita yesterday, I had an opportunity to engage with a number of wonderful people. One conversation has stuck with me.
Three individuals in public education—two teachers and one counselor—dropped by for a lengthy visit and gave me a report on the state of our public education system today. They explained that parents can opt their children out of certain classroom lessons and activities. As we talked through the implications, I found myself wondering what happens when students miss foundational parts of our shared history.
I couldn’t help but walk away from that conversation feeling extremely disheartened at what has been allowed to happen in the name of parents’ rights. We, as parents, should want our children to know the truth about their history so that they are able to better understand the world around them and how to make it a better place. Hiding—or allowing them to opt out of learning about—the darkest periods of our history only sets them up for failure down the road. What’s the famous saying? History may not repeat itself, but it rhymes. We need to ensure that our children are being taught a true version of history, with as few gaps in the record as possible, if we want to ensure a more educated, empathetic, and engaged citizenry moving forward.
Public school isn’t the only place we’ve seen attempts to dislodge the truth as of late. With the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we have seen attempts to rewrite our history in federal parks and museums across the country. It is disgraceful. I am so fortunate to have grown up in an era in which I could access historical texts written from a wide range of perspectives, and I am so much better for it. I’ll be damned if I let people take away similar opportunities for my kids.
No, in my household, we will continue to champion the truth—even when it is uncomfortable or challenges us. And should I have the privilege of serving in Congress, I will do everything I can to make sure that our public educators have the freedom, support, and resources they need to teach it.
Juneteenth was a timely reminder that freedom and truth go hand in hand—and that both are worth protecting for future generations. The people who were finally told they were free in Galveston on June 19, 1865 deserved the truth, just as our children deserve the truth today.