I find it fascinating that I was never taught about Juneteenth in school – and so many other historical moments, all involving marginalized communities. And today I struggle to find the right way to acknowledge and celebrate without feeling like I’m pandering and engagement farming.
But I just listened to a powerful two hour Twitter Spaces with WomenxMeta and SoVonna Day-Goinson the TIMEpieces stage and can’t ignore this feeling that doing nothing, saying nothing, doesn’t make sense in this moment. “Take Action” was the call at the end of the space. Any action.
“Our ability to make transformational change comes from action.” SDG
I listened as an artist I adore broke down in tears during that space, talking about the emotional labor of doing the work of trying to elevate black artists. He was given permission to rest in the most loving way. And a call to action to others to pick up the baton.
There’s a continuum of fighting the fights that need to be fought and in this particular instance it starts from the founding of our country to today. When some get tired, others need to step up. But not many do because the work is hard. And never ending. I’ve experienced this with women’s rights and feel like it’s a battle that will never be won. It’s exhausting.
And maybe that’s the problem – seeing it as a battle to be won rather than a continuous educational spectrum. Overcorrection is always a danger and we see this in our political environment constantly.
Looking at it as a learning opportunity, I took the note from SDG and took some action to visit the digital version of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture. https://nmaahc.si.edu/juneteenth
It shouldn’t be surprising that it took almost 2 years for many slaves to hear about their grant of freedom. It’s so hard to imagine in a world where we know everything, instantly. There’s a lot of history I don’t know and haven’t learned. So one of the best things I can do on this Juneteenth is spend a little time learning today, whether in the Museum or reading this curated collection of articles from the Real Good News show. Join me.
It's been a week and I'm still going! Thanks for reading my random inner monologue. Waiting on the recordings from FarCon to dig into some specific topics so I can review, relive, reflect. Coming soon - in the scenius. And if you were one of my first 7 subscribers, you can claim a poap here: https://www.poap.delivery/profbday2023
