How much do you know about Juneteenth?
I don’t believe I’ve ever written a blog post or shared a social media post about Juneteenth. While I feel sad about my ignorance about this very important date in history, I’m also feeling hopeful about the steps I’m taking to educate myself about historical events like Juneteenth. In conversations with others, I’m learning I’m not alone in my ignorance and instead of questioning why there are certain things we don’t know, we must continue to educate ourselves and one another.
Today is June 19th, 2020 aka Juneteenth. From Juneteenth.com:
“Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.”
I didn’t know exactly what I should do spread awareness about Juneteenth or how I should observe Juneteenth, so I started searching online and decided to compile some ideas in case you’re feeling the same as me:
Donate.
You can donate to the Black Lives Matter movement, NAACP, ACLU, Black Girls Code, and The Marshall Project are a few campaigns you can support. (There are hundreds of campaigns to choose from)
Participate in a BLM protest.
Support black-owned restaurants.
Sauce magazine put together a list of black-owned restaurants in the St. Louis area. While it’s important to support one of these restaurants today, it’s important to support these restaurants all the time.
Educate yourself.
Conduct a Google search on Juneteenth. Watch 13th, a documentary on Netflix or choose another form of media to learn about systemic racism. CNET has a great list of resources.
Place a sign in your front yard.
Whether you purchase a sign or make your own, it’s a great way to educate others who may not know about Juneteenth.
Follow the lead of other companies.
If you own a business, take a look at this list CNBC put together of companies observing Juneteenth this year.
Last, but not least.
Start conversations and spread the knowledge.