From Elmina’s Dungeons to Economic Justice: A Juneteenth Reflection for Nevada

Dear Nevadans,

As we celebrate Juneteenth—the day marking the end of slavery in the United States—I want to share a personal story that shaped my journey as a candidate for Congress. While I am no longer running for office, the work for justice and equality continues, and our movement endures.

In the summer of 2023, I visited Elmina Castle in Ghana. Standing in the dungeons where enslaved Africans were held before their forced journey across the Atlantic, I was struck by how systems of exploitation transform but never truly disappear. The legacy of taking from the poor to enrich the powerful lives on, just in new forms.

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, but it’s also a reminder that true liberation is about more than the end of slavery. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew that Black freedom and economic justice were inseparable. In his final years, he supported a guaranteed basic income because he understood that civil rights mean little without economic rights.

For centuries, this pattern has repeated. From the forced enslavement of 12 million Africans, designed to transfer wealth from the many to the few, to modern policies that keep communities poor while corporations profit—this is a system built on extraction and justified by racism.

In the 1980s, organizations like the IMF and World Bank forced nations like Ghana to cut public services and sell off resources. Local economies suffered, but multinational corporations thrived. The methods changed, but the result was the same: wealth moved upward.

Today, in America and around the world, the pattern continues. From low wages and lack of healthcare to the burden of debt and underfunded schools, working people are left behind while a small elite grows richer.

Racism remains embedded in our economic systems. From the creation of racial hierarchies to justify slavery, to today’s policies that disproportionately harm communities of color—these systems divide us and maintain inequality.

In the United States, policies like cutting the safety net, mass incarceration, and underfunding education devastate Black and Brown communities. Internationally, countries hurt by these economic strategies are often the same places scarred by colonialism and slavery.

But here’s what’s crucial: this system hurts everyone. Whether you live in a rural Nevada town or an inner-city neighborhood, you feel the impact of rising costs, crumbling infrastructure, and a sense that the system is rigged. When wealth piles up at the top, most of us—no matter our race—are left to struggle.

These divisions are no accident. They are designed to keep working people from coming together to demand an economy that serves all of us, not just the wealthy few.

We don’t have to accept things as they are. Other countries—like Norway, Finland, and Denmark—have proven we can build economies that put people first. Their societies invest in healthcare, education, and opportunity for all, measuring success by well-being, not just profits.

In Norway, oil profits are invested for the benefit of every citizen—not just big shareholders. Universal healthcare, free education, and strong worker protections help build strong, happy communities. This isn’t a dream—it’s reality for millions.

Some say these ideas can’t work here. But these countries are democracies with strong economies and innovation. They prove that by investing in people, we all prosper.

That’s why I ran to represent Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District: to end centuries of extraction and exploitation, and build an economy focused on dignity, opportunity, and justice for all. While my candidacy has ended, my commitment to these goals remains unwavering, and I continue to work alongside you for a better future.

My main proposals include creating a Green Marshall Plan to fund a Nevada Permanent Fund—similar to Alaska’s—to ensure our natural wealth benefits every Nevadan, not just corporations. Profits from mining and renewable energy would be invested for all of us, providing a guaranteed income as Dr. King envisioned.

Economic security is the foundation of true freedom. A guaranteed income helps working families negotiate, pursue education, and participate fully in our democracy.

A Green Marshall Plan will create good jobs, transition us to clean energy, and ensure our state’s future belongs to working people, not just investors.

Free public college and trade schools will make education a right, not a privilege, and end the crushing burden of student debt.

Fair wages and strong worker protections will ensure families can thrive—and that those who create value are rewarded, not just the wealthy few.

Progressive taxes on the wealthy and corporations will help reverse decades of rising inequality and provide resources for our communities.

These aren’t radical ideas—they’re common sense around the world. It’s time we shift from taking to investing, from hoarding wealth to sharing prosperity.

For too long, leaders have admitted openly that the system is rigged for the wealthy and powerful. But more Americans are waking up. This is our chance for real change—not just small reforms, but genuine transformation.

The current system has failed us. Decades of these policies have led to inequality, crumbling infrastructure, and despair—even as profits soar for a select few. We must measure success by the well-being of our people, not just growth on a spreadsheet.

My journey to Ghana made it clear: the old chains of slavery have new forms today—debt, low wages, lack of healthcare, environmental destruction. But the goal is the same: to take from the many and enrich the few. We must break those chains.

We can build an economy where every child is healthy, every family can afford a home, and every person has dignity and opportunity.

This is our choice. This Juneteenth, and in the days leading up to the Fourth of July—as Opal Lee, the lead female Black activist who led the Juneteenth movement to make it a federal holiday, has advocated—we honor those who fought against exploitation. From the millions who resisted slavery to Dr. King, who demanded economic justice, we must commit to finishing their work. That’s why I ran, and that’s the future we can build—if we’re bold enough to learn from history and choose a new path.

Both parties too often serve donors, not working people. But Nevadans are Battle Born—we fight for what’s right and for each other.

If you believe healthcare is a right, education should be free, and workers deserve dignity—get involved. Talk to your neighbors. Volunteer. Register to vote. Change starts here, with us.

This is about every family facing healthcare costs, every student burdened by debt, and every worker struggling to get by while executives profit.

Elmina taught me: division keeps us down, but when we unite across race and background, we are unstoppable.

Nevada can lead the way during this season of freedom. We can show another path is possible.

But we must organize and demand change.

Not me—us. Let’s get to work.

—Gamy Enriquez, MPA