On Juneteenth, Equity, and Justice
Today is Juneteenth
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date on which enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally received the news they were free. This was two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, one year after the Senate passed the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, on April 18, 1864, and six months after it was passed by the House on January 31, 1865. (Source)
Of course, we know that slavery never ended - it just shifted.
Today is an important day, and I urge you to learn more about Juneteenth, racism, and ways to fight for justice for all.
On Juneteenth
What Is Juneteenth? by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
What Are Other Names for Juneteenth? The U.S. Is Betraying the Spirit of ‘Jubilee Day’ by Braxton Brewington
Juneteenth is at risk of losing its meaning by Russell Contreras
Poet Amanda Gorman celebrates the gift of Blackness for Juneteenth by Olivia Hampton
The True Meaning of Juneteenth by Casey Gerald
Capitalism
Juneteenth was finally recognized as a federal holiday. Then came commercialization. by Michelle Garcia
Companies are selling Juneteenth branded products. Here's why that's a big problem by Jonathan Franklin
Politics
Despite Push, States Slow to Make Juneteenth a Paid Holiday by Kimberlee Kruesi and Cheyanne Mumphrey
Critical Race Theory Panic Is Stopping Teachers from Teaching About Juneteenth by Atiya Irvin-Mitchell
Looking Forward
We need real action, not empty rhetoric, on Juneteenth by Kamau Louis
Juneteenth reminds us of an often forgotten side of the liberation struggle by The Washington Post Editorial Board
Juneteenth is a jubilant celebration — and a sacred lament by Tekella Foster
How to Be Anti-Racist
Acknowledging Your Own Racism by Krystal Jagoo
4 Reasons Centering Whiteness Can Derail Racial Justice Conversations — And How To Do Better by Shae Collins
White Allies, Let’s Be Honest About Decolonization by Kyle Powys Whyte
7 Strategies to Help You on Your Anti-Racism Journey by Amy Morin, LCSW
How to Talk About Race Effectively by Krystal Jagoo
Anti-Racism Toolkit for Allies (PDF)
Effective Strategies for Confronting Racism in Conversation
Not Easy, Still Worth It: 4 Strategies for White People to Address a Racist Relative’s Racism by Ginger Stickney
Racism, whiteness, and burnout in antiracism movements: How white racial justice activists elevate burnout in racial justice activists of color in the United States (PDF) by Paul C. Gorski + Noura Erakat
Abolitionism
Abolition Is Not Merely a Demand, But a Long-Term Struggle by Erica R. Meiners
Supporting Black-Owned Stores
Further Listening
Further Reading
A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland by DaMaris B. Hill
An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton
Embodied Social Justice by Rae Johnson
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger by Lama Rod Owens
Oppression and the Body: Roots, Resistance, and Resolutions by Christine Caldwell and Lucia Bennett Leighton
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Joy a Degruy
Read This to Get Smarter: about Race, Class, Gender, Disability & More by Blair Imani
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master’s House by Audre Lorde
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work by Tiffany Jewell
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde
Thanks for reading! If you have feedback or anything you’d like to share, feel free to reach out to me on social media or via email (all linked here).
Until next time,
Grayson