Here's What You Can Do to Educate Yourself and Get Involved on Juneteenth

With the George Floyd and Black Lives matter protests still going on, observing Juneteenth (aka the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States) feels more important than ever. But before we get into all the ways you can make June 19 have a lasting impact this year, please allow me to provide you with a little history on the holiday first.

African-Americans were informed by Union General Gordon Granger that they would no longer be enslaved on June 19, 1865—approx. two months after the Civil War officially ended. General Granger’s announcement formally put the Emancipation Proclamation into effect (despite it promising enslaved people freedom two and a half years prior). As a result, Juneteenth became known as the day when enslaved people truly gained their freedom. Fun fact: It’s also sometimes referred to as “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day,” or “Emancipation Day.”

Okay, now that you’re brushed up on your American history, here’s how you can actively participate in Juneteenth.

Start a Fundraiser on Facebook

Be honest, you’re on social media all the time anyway, so why not start a Juneteenth fundraiser on Facebook? Facebook may even donate $19 to your fundraiser if it benefits the Equal Justice Initiative, Innocence Project, or Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The catch? Facebook’s contribution is only for one fundraiser per person, but the good news is that Facebook will donate to fundraisers until June 20, 2020 (or until they hit $1 million in donations).

Donate, Donate, Donate

Don’t just start a fundraiser—donate to them too! But if you go this route, be sure to check out our guide on how to be smart about donations so you don’t get scammed.

Sign a Petition

Forty-six states and Washington, D.C. observe Juneteenth as a holiday, but Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana do not. This petition is urging people to sign so the President and the Unites States Congress can make Juneteenth a *national* holiday so we can all celebrate “Freedom for All.” It currently has over 300,000 signatures.

Tomorrow is Juneteenth: the day slavery ended in the United States.

Help us make Juneteenth a National Holiday, which is far overdue!
Please take a second to sign this petition! https://t.co/wKuuvmzCry via @Change pic.twitter.com/f81ZS6Z3qr

Contact Your Local Government and Workplace

Recently, Virginia and New York passed legislation declaring Juneteenth a paid state holiday (Texas was the first state to do this), but the other 43 states that observe Juneteenth haven’t.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs order making Juneteenth a paid holiday for state employees to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. Texas was the first to make Juneteenth a state holiday, in 1980. https://t.co/n3aAco0rVn

Call and email your workplace and state reps demanding that Juneteenth be observed so all workers are given paid time off for the day.

To get you started, here are some handy email templates that make the process super simple:

Use Your Words Wisely

So you’ve been tapping into every anti-racist reading list you can find? While that is great, take that a step further by correcting your language when discussing the history of Juneteenth. Instead of referring to African-Americans as “slaves,” use the more correct term enslaved people—it makes a world of a difference. This handy guide created by @theconsciouskid explains it well:

View this post on Instagram

Swipe to see language recommendations for writing, speaking, and teaching about slavery. Tweet: @al0nte [image: tweet by @al0nte that reads: “Juneteenth is in a week. This is just a reminder that my ancestors were not slaves, they were ENslaved. Know the difference, know the implications.” in plain black text on a white background] #Juneteenth #Education #BlackHistory #BlackLivesMatter #TeachersOfInstagram

A post shared by The Conscious Kid (@theconsciouskid) on Jun 15, 2020 at 8:28am PDT

Continue Fighting for Black Lives

Keep on saying their names—George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. But please don’t forget there are older cases that need renewed attention too: Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, and so many others still deserve justice. Please also remember that so many Black trans men and women are being murdered and demand justice for them. The fight does not end here.

Here are guides for how to demand justice right now, how to find mental health resources if you’re a Black woman, how to talk to your relatives about Black Lives Matter, how to spot a fake protest story, and how to protest safely.

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