Celebrating Juneteenth As Freedoms Are Pulled Back

"My people are not the resistance.  We don’t have the resources and access to slow walk, hide, or withstand the blows.”

Juneteenth is a poignant reminder that freedom is constantly shifting and can be denied or restored.

This day marks freedom delayed—but not denied. This year, we face the sobering truth that recent federal rollbacks, court rulings, and inaction, combined, are eroding civil rights and freedoms for large segments of the population.

Worse, some entered this era with freedoms already largely out of reach due to poverty, systemic racism, etc., leaving them with few resources to navigate what is already a rigged David vs. Goliath battle.

Someone recently described it this way during an interview, "My people are not the resistance.  We don’t have the resources and access to slow walk, hide, or withstand the blows.”

History has demonstrated time and again that progress invites backlash, and backlash fuels renewed effort. Over time, the pendulum swing has consistently placed us in a better position than when we began the cycle.

However, as Frederick Douglass pointed out, this doesn't happen without concerted effort: "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."

Juneteenth reminds us that freedoms can be denied or restored. It is up to us to determine what comes next. We can bend the arc of history through these strategies (which are not uniquely ours, but are worth sharing)

🗳️ 1. Organize & Vote at Every Level. Civil rights are won in courts but defended at the ballot box.

Elect leaders at the federal, state, and local levels (governors, school boards, judges, etc.) who protect civil rights.

Push for automatic voter registration, voting access laws, and protection against voter suppression.

Urge your representative to restore the Voting Rights Act

⚖️ 2. Push for Judicial Accountability & Reform
Enhance the judicial system's representation, transparency, and adherence to ethical rules by advocating for term limits, court expansion, or jurisdictional reform.

🧠  3. Seek Out and Share Neutral, Accurate, Unbiased Information
Disinformation & fatigue are part of the erosion cycle. We can counter this by:
- Reading from trusted, independent sources
- Stopping the spread of inaccurate information by asking good questions to focus the dialogue on what is accurate
- Join groups that promote academic freedom and advocate against censorship
- Support institutions that preserve vital information that is being eradicated, such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture

🤝4. Support Grassroots Movements
Fund, volunteer with, or amplify Black- and brown-led, LGBTQ+, reproductive justice, and immigrant rights groups doing frontline work. These organizations do the early work that sets the stage to bend the change curve back in a positive direction.