Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (D-Mass.), a 2020 presidential hopeful, said Juneteenth needs to be a reminder of issues facing the African American community today, including violence and inequity, in an op-ed published Wednesday on Medium.

"I will never understand the fear, oppression, and pain that confronts many Black Americans every day. We can’t ignore what is happening in this country. Today on Juneteenth, and every day, we can — and must — do better. Black lives matter, Black citizens matter, Black families matter," Warren wrote.

June 19, or Juneteenth, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States in 1865 and marks the day news of emancipation reached Texas, the nation's most remote slave state.

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Warren said Juneteenth "isn't just about celebration," but rather is a "reminder that 154 years later, Black Americans still feel the weight of government-sponsored racism and discrimination on their shoulders."

"Our country needs big, structural change to confront the tools of oppression Black Americans still face today," Warren said.

Warren noted the police brutality that has led to the deaths of black Americans across the country, naming Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Mya Hall, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Korryn Gaines and Alton Sterling.

She also highlighted voter suppression laws designed to "steal votes from people of color" as well as "deliberately denying millions of Black Americans economic opportunities solely because of the color of their skin."

Warren said the U.S. needs "real criminal justice reform" as well as "a Voting Rights Act with real teeth."

She also highlighted her plans for affordable housing and universal free public college that she said would confront the racial wealth gap.

On Wednesday, House Democrats also honored Juneteenth by holding a Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties hearing on slavery reparations.