It was exactly 150 years ago this week that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, officially abolishing slavery. President Obama attended a Capitol Hill ceremony today to honor the anniversary, and offered some timely and poignant remarks.

…Obama said, “We betray the efforts of the past if we fail to push back against bigotry in all its forms.” Obama called on Americans to “hold fast to our values” and advance the work done by abolitionists and civil rights leaders.