A moment to remember. A moment to choose who we become.
Abolition Day marks the ratification of the 13th Amendment—an end to legal slavery, but not an end to the forces that shaped it. The United States closed one chapter of injustice, yet the aftermath was never fully repaired, and the deeper work of truth, reconciliation, and ethical rebuilding remains unfinished.
For the Humane Party, this day is not only historical; it is aspirational. It asks us to look honestly at the systems we still uphold—human and nonhuman—and to decide whether we will continue patterns of domination or finally step beyond them. It reminds us that symbols matter, memory matters, and justice requires more than time passing.
Abolition was a beginning. It opened the door to a country we have yet to build—one free of exploitation, one guided by conscience, one willing to confront what previous generations chose to ignore.
Today, we honor the courage of those who fought for freedom and recommit to the ongoing work of creating it. Abolition Day is a reminder, and an invitation:
We are not done.
The Humane Herald 