Today (June 17th) President Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth (June 19th) a Federal Holiday. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.
Here are 5 things you can do to celebrate Juneteenth, particularly if, like me, you are not Black:
Fight Voter Suppression: Declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday is a little meaningless when across the country, politicians are trying to suppress voting, especially by Black voters. The non-partisan League of Women Voters has a list of resources and actions to help fight voter suppression.
Learn Black history: Make sure your schools are teaching ALL of American history, including Black history which has previously largely been erased. There are a number of states that trying to introduce legislation (or have already done this) to ban teaching the 1619 Project in schools. Does your school district teach its students about Black American history? If not, you can say something about it! And if you’re a parent, you can even run to be elected to the school board to make sure that your kids are getting the most complete history education possible.
Buy books from Black authors: Read about Black joy!!! Here are 5 of my favorite Black authors - Robinne Lee (fiction, love story), Talia Hibbert (romance), Dhonielle Clayton (young adult), Nicola Yoon (young adult), and Tia Williams (romance -I haven’t read her new book yet, but it’s happening soon).
Eat at Black-owned restaurants: There are many delicious choices in Greater Cleveland including Irie Jamaican Kitchen (also in Akron!), Sauce the City, The Sauce Boiling Seafood (also in Akron!!), The Crispy Chick, and Southern Cafe!
Shop Black! This is probably the easiest one to do, and here are 5 Black-owned brands that are my favorites
The Lip Bar: I’ve been using their makeup for quite some time, and in celebration of Juneteenth, they’re also having a 25% off sale, so go check it out (disclosure: I love The Lip Bar so much I’m also an affiliate)
Kiri Chic: Super cute sandals, perfect for summer!
228 Grant Street: some of my favorite candles come from here!
Tal & Bert: gorgeous home goods!
Phenomenal: fun, casual women’s clothing
You can find a larger list of Black-owned businesses in this blog post.
The recognition of Juneteenth is a tiny sliver in acknowledging history and moving to a more equitable and inclusive society. The action ideas I shared above are also very small steps in that direction, but I hope that they help inform, and in some cases even entertain you.
