Juneteenth

Today, I wanted to take some time to learn about Juneteenth and share any related articles and resources that I came across.

Christopher Young’s Make Juneteenth Matter post on where we are and where we need to go. This was a beautiful reflection and I loved the “impossible is nothing” quote that he used at the end.

juneteenth.com which shared a lot of facts and details about the holiday and how to celebrate it properly (Note: the site seems to be down at the moment but hoping it will work again soon)

Why is Juneteenth Important? “July 4th is about liberty, but it was an imperfect liberty, because slavery still legally existed in the nation”

Educating Children on Juneteenth This is a great resource for parents and teachers who can play an important role in educating their children. “The foundation for understanding our complex, diverse and often unjust world and our role in it is built during the first eight years of a child’s life. For children of all racial identities, Juneteenth can be a time for learning about slavery in the United States, the resilience of Black people and the bravery of people of all racial groups who fought to end slavery“

Is My Skin Brown Because I Drank Chocolate Milk? This is an insightful TEDxStanford talk by Beverly Daniel Tatum about how parents usually shush their children who ask about skin colour. This then makes the topic of race seem taboo or off limit, which makes it challenging to have these types of conversations in the future.

Regardless of the day on our calendars, I hope that we’ll continue having more open conversations around race, gender, equality, and equity. The more conversations we have, the more context and awareness we can gain, which will hopefully lead to more empathy and action.

Quote of the Day

My humanity is bound up in yours, as we can only be human together.

desmond tutu