A Juneteenth Quickie

It’s Juneteenth today so I’m keeping this short because I really shouldn’t be laboring at all, but I wanted to pop in with a short message. 

First of all, here’s a quick and amazing video from Blair Imani, creator of the #SmarterInSeconds series on Instagram, explaining the history of Juneteenth.

Secondly, today, I think about my ancestors. As a descendant of enslaved people, I think about the fact that I have a level of freedom that my ancestors never had. 

I think about the fact that I’m the first woman in my lineage to have the freedom to live alone and to decide to be childfree. I think about the fact that I get to write words for a living. I get to live a life filled with choice — something many of my ancestors never experienced.

And yet still, I think about the anti-Black racism that still permeates this country. I think about how the Black square movement of 2020 failed to change anything on a systemic level. I think about the fact that Juneteenth became a national holiday but has in no way actually benefited the Black people it was meant to celebrate. I think about the fact that across the country there’s a movement to ban books by Black authors and to ban the discussion of slavery in schools. 

And so my challenge for all of you today, is to honor Juneteenth in deed and not just in word. Support Black creators, writers, and activists year round. Support them not just in sharing their trauma and hardships, but support them in sharing their joy. Joy is an important part of liberation work so as much as I talk about dismantling, I talk about living a life of joy because both are necessary and important. I’m going to keep choice joy and love for myself again and again and again.

Thank you to all of you who continue to support my work, and if you haven’t decided to financially contribute yet, today is a great day to upgrade to a paid subscription. 

And if you’re not in a financial position to do so today, you can help by sharing this Substack with a few friends (that’s totally free).

Finally, I encourage you to commit to living an antiracist life in a real and meaningful way. White supremacy is the air we breathe so each of us must continue to do the work of unlearning. There is no liberation without sacrifice. 

That’s it for today. I’m going to sit my ass down and rest. Sending you love always.