Today we are celebrating Juneteenth, the day that enslaved people in Texas learned about the Emancipation Proclamation that President Lincoln had issued more than two years earlier. We do so at a dismal moment in our history, as our nation confronts the horror of police violence against Black people, amidst racial inequities and injustices brought to light by the pandemic.
In celebration of Juneteenth's message of liberation and out of respect for our Black friends and neighbors' anger, sorrow, fatigue, and courage, June 19th provides the opportunity for our whole community to share a day of reflection. We encourage you to pause from your regular work and reflect on both the ongoing history of systemic racial injustice and how it manifests in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our houses of worship and our families.
To those of us who are not subject to the daily oppression of racism, we need to engage with humanity and honesty, deeply and with humility. We must dedicate ourselves to this in a systematic manner and not only in reaction to a moment of national crisis. We live with ample proof that life chances are fundamentally different. They are to be seen. And yet too often those of us who are not burdened with racism choose not to see, or we choose to explain these disparities away instead of moving to correct them. Change starts with a personal transition and will end in systemic reform. This is the hard work before us, an endeavor to which we as a community should devote our full energy. Let’s start today, on this Juneteenth, working together to resolutely turn our attention toward the mission of anti-racism.
**For those interested in participating in some local activities:
**Additional resources we hope you will find informative and insightful:
Learn about Juneteenth
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/
**Read about How to Take a Stand Against Racism
Why White People Freak Out When They’re Called Out About Race
https://www.alternet.org/2015/03/why-white-people-freak-out-when-theyre-called-out-about-race/
Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
7 things Black people want their well-meaning white friends to know (and view the 4 min video Your Black Friend)
https://www.upworthy.com/7-things-black-people-want-white-people-to-know
10 common phrases that are actually racist AF.
https://www.upworthy.com/10-common-phrases-that-are-actually-racist-af
George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper | The Daily Social Distancing Show (18 min video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
NCCJ: Check out Talking About Race, the new web portal of digital tools and resources from the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.