Celebrating Juneteenth

We heard of Juneteenth a year or two ago. This year, it is getting more attention because systemic racism is getting more attention since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.

You can learn about Juneteenth history.

We signed a change.org petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday in the USA. Most US states are celebrating it this year.

This can also be a global movement of celebrating liberation. Many diverse people come together when slavery is abolished. But the liberations, like the one in the United States, were more in name. White supremacist culture, racist laws, and racist attitudes became ingrained in societies so much so that they are less visible to the 2020 citizen but are contained in much of everyday life. From media depictions of race to bank lending practices to policing, you can see for yourself how people are treated differently based on their skin color, and black lives are given less respect in all these venues.

Reading about these topics and celebrating the liberations past and to come are things we can do today in honor of Juneteenth.