Today, America celebratesJuneteenth. It’s a day steeped in history as the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On this day in 1865, the last enslaved people in the U.S.- in Galveston, Texas - learned of their freedom. Juneteenth celebrates freedom in the Black community, and emphasizes education and achievement.
This year’s holiday takes place on an historic stage with the prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement rising in power across the nation, before a backdrop of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Citizens in cities and towns globally are uniting in peaceful protest to fight the oppression and the pervasive systemic racism inflicted upon the Black community.
In honor of the anti-racism conversation many are having, and in the spirit of education, we are sharing resources from which we are learning. Our goal is to continue our own education to become better allies. We invite you to join us. What nonprofits are you supporting? What are Black-owned businesses at which you shop? Who are your favorite Black authors? What are some documentaries you’ve found educational? Who are the activists you follow? We appreciate recommendations that are both nationally and locally based. Please help us add to this list and thank you for growing with us.
Nonprofits To Support
Black Women’s Health Imperative
National Black Justice Coalition
National Black Women’s Justice Institute
Documentaries / Films
13th
I Am Not Your Negro
The Hate U Give
The Kalief Browder Story
The Racial Wealth Gap
When They See Us
Who Killed Malcolm X?
Books To Read
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism, Robin DiAngelo
Freedom is a Constant Struggle, Angela Y. Davis
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X
Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, James H Jones
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, Bryan Stevenson
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals,Saidiya Hartman
Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi
How To Be An Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi
Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List for Adults
Podcasts
IG Accounts to Follow