This thread is for Black voices, but all can contribute. If you are Black, we invite you to speak whatever is on your mind on this special day or amplify the voice of another Black person. If you aren’t, you can contribute by quoting a Black person, famous or not, local or distant.
Centering Black Voices on Juneteenth
by Nathan Phillips | Jun 19, 2020 | Newton | 8 comments
“Race is the child of racism, not the father”
– Ta-Nehisi Coates, in Between the World and Me.
“O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—
And yet must be—the land where every man is free.”
-Langston Hughes, “Let America be America Again”
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail is as timely today as it was in 1963.
Take the time to learn more about a future Boston leader, Monica Cannon-Grant: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/06/06/metro/heres-monica-with-sea-people-behind-her/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link
The movie “Just Mercy”, which tells the true story of Bryan Stevenson (Jordan), a civil-rights attorney who works to defend Walter McMillian (Foxx), who was wrongfully convicted of murder, is free to stream through all of June. It addresses systemic racism in our justice system. It can be seen through a variety of digital movie services in the US, including Apple TV, FandangoNow, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Redbox, the PlayStation Store, Vudu, Microsoft, and YouTube.
Also, go to https://eji.org/ to learn more about Stevenson’s organization, the Equal Justice Initiative.
https://photos.newtonsportsphotography.com/Events/n-GbWPx/2020-Juneteenth-Black-Lives-Matter/
From young people of color speaking at today’s Juneteenth rally:
“If you are an educator, a parent, or a student, ready to create change, raise your hand”
“You have more power than I do, and you should be using your power to fight against systemic racism”
“Parents can start early by teaching their children empathy”
“I know that Black parents have had ‘the talk’ with their kids… what about you white parents? Have you spoken to your children about race?”
@Meredith – Glad you mentioned “Just Mercy” and EJI, also worth noting that if you create a Facebook fundraiser for EJI, they’ll put in the first $19. The more people that do it, the more Facebook donates. Go create one!