Weekend Self-Care: Juneteenth and Songs of Liberation
Friday was our annual celebration of Juneteenth.
The holiday is especially important this year during a time in which Black excellence is being constantly threatened by White Republican men. With their collective hoods off and Republicans being out and proud with their racism and nativism, we're seeing a concerted effort across GOP-led legislatures to erase Black men and women from the political process. Whether it's the overt actions of places like Memphis and Louisiana to immediately remove Black congressional districts or the more subtle actions of suppressing the votes of Black people through what can only be described as Jim Crow 2.0 tactics, Republicans are hellbent on removing the accrued political power of Black America through any means necessary. With all three branches of government firmly in Republican control, they've been able to unapologetically go after the institutions and systems that have given rise to Black power over the last half-century. Not only are they targeting Black politicians, but they are also targeting the very foundations that give birth to these politicians in the first place. Republicans believe that by gutting affirmative action, punishing DEI-friendly colleges and universities, and removing the struggle of Black Americans from our children's history books, they will ultimately be able to create permanent second-class citizens who neither legally nor willingly seek to be involved in the political decision-making process for their communities.
Oh, how wrong they are.
Because if there's anything that Juneteenth teaches us, it's the endurance of Black America. It's how slow the arc of justice bends, but it does eventually bend toward justice. Juneteenth tells the story not only of how it took years for Black America to finally become free of the legal bonds of slavery, but also how honoring the holiday itself took decades of activism from hundreds of committed and dedicated citizens wanting to honor their people and their community. This is why Republicans want to silence Black women and men, because they know they are a people who don't sit silent in the face of injustice. They are a people who fight, scratch, and claw for every inch of progress, only to see it halted and reversed each and every time a Republican is elected president. Republicans have long sought to break Black America, but each and every time they try, Black America fights back even harder. They are the base of Democratic Party politics in the United States, and because of that, they are the target of both the far right and far left in this country.
So this weekend, let us honor Black America through songs of Juneteenth and liberation. During these turbulent times, they are our North Star. With everything this administration has thrown at them, Black America continues to endure and fight for a country that fails them time and time again. Its resilience and sheer tenacity give hope to the rest of us who have seen our communities fail the open-book test time and time again. Because Black America continues to believe in the promise of America. Of moving toward a more perfect union. Of giving its children and grandchildren opportunities that they never had. Black America's eternal hope is an inspiration to all of us, especially those who are just now realizing how fragile our freedoms truly are. Black America has seen it all and continues to fight each and every day. If they can do that after four plus centuries, then the rest of us don't have any excuse not to join them. Black joy is real, Black joy is tenacious, and Black joy is the singular emotion that terrifies fragile Republican men and forces them to try to legislate in a way that denies them opportunities. But as we have seen and continue to see, Black excellence endures no matter what. And that is why we honor and celebrate them on Juneteenth.
As always, be kind and caring to those you love. This is your Juneteenth and songs of liberation weekend self-care open thread.