By Vercie Lark, Region 7 Great Plains Administrator and Ted James, Region 6 South Central Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

Being black and walking away from a person who legally owned you became reality on June 19, 1865, when Texas became the last state to implement the Emancipation Proclamation. The day, now known as Juneteenth, has become one of celebration for black Americans.

It was a start. As black Americans, however, we continually must ask the question: “Are we truly...