There are so many layers to Juneteenth I thought I could use a co-author on this one so please join me in (virtually) welcoming, Meryl's Safe Haven Board Member and WorkHype founder, Alisha Andrews-Simmons.
In a change of pace, this posting will (briefly) revisit the day in history and its importance to us as an organization and reiterate the importance of those three, big, letters no one could get off their mind just a few years ago that have slowly faded into the darkness of many organizations (and minds). You got it! D.E.I. I'm sure that wasn't on your mind, but let's pretend it was as we journey back to a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion was at the forefront of everyone's mind. For better or worse, diversity statements were flying off the shelves left and right, and many promises were made but not kept. You know how it is, politics as usual. Amirite?!
Juneteenth is officially known as "Juneteenth National Independence Day". Recently marked as a federal holiday in the United States (two years ago, I believe), it is a day celebrated annually on June 19th to commemorate the ending of slavery. I know a lot of things but I've never been a history buff but.. and.. I want to say I recently started watching "Manhunt" on AppleTV and I. AM. HOOKED! For me... for us at Meryl's Safe Haven Juneteenth is a marking of time for a different reason; it marks a day of loss and gain - the loss of my aunt and the gain of a community resource: Meryl's Safe Haven - complete emphasis on the day, not the date. I still remember that call and what I was doing the exact moment I received it like it was yesterday and as I've talked with others about grief I remind myself that it gets easier. And just to thicken the irony, the family member who made the call to me that evening celebrates his birthday today, June 19th - you know who you are! Slight digression but I know you're not surprised... I also remember the calls that followed with information from the time first responders arrived at the scene with their assumptions of who she was and what she was doing at the time of the accident that ultimately took her life to the time the toxicology report came back. As I think about the stages of grief, I am reminded why anger is one and how multi-layered it is. As I hear and read reports after the death of black and brown people, I am reminded why so many avoid the presence of "authority".
Unfortunately, even in death black Americans are susceptible to attacks on their character. It is no surprise that in the absence of facts, assumptions are made and conclusions are drawn about black and brown people more quickly and, most often, negatively than other groups. We've seen it time and time again as stories unravel and families attempt to make sense of the information being shared about a loved one down to the last second of their life versus what they know to be true. A 2023 study tells me I'm not the only one who has noticed the impact the lack of representation in fields like journalism and law enforcement has on black and brown communities. I know, it's a bit early to lay it on so heavy but follow the baton as I hand it off because this is only part of the point.
As this article is being penned, around the anniversary of George Floyd's death, it is hard to ignore the timing of the recognition of this holiday. It is equally as difficult to ignore that our country appears to be racially stagnant. Diversity, equity and inclusion took center stage around this time four years ago and still, we lack the representation that is necessary to tell nuanced stories of black and brown people. There is a need for white reporters to gain education to tell stories about our communities that provide a more dynamic view of our experiences, and there is also a dire need for journalism... serious journalism, to employ, empower and to promote black and brown folk into leadership roles to provide autonomy of telling our own stories.Â
High visibility fields still struggle more than necessary to share the experiences of communities of color and instead of running towards improvement, we are seeing a steady retreat. All of the public commitments that were made were a nightmare privately for many people of color who stepped up to take on the leadership roles necessary to create positive change within society. As we have seen over the past few years, these initiatives have been rolled back, or downright cancelled while taking leaders of color down with them and failing to acknowledge the support needed to protect those leaders for the sake of progress, if nothing else. These actions result in performative holidays that have lost their meaning and poor storytelling to accompany it. While the roots of this holiday were said to be an expression of black joy for black Americans, it is now a reminder that our trauma and pain is just another day off.
Unfortunately, racism doesn't take a day off nor does grief so today we, again, lay a single white rose for my aunt Meryl but also for black and brown people who we've lost on the journey to paid time off with just enough substance to feel like a win, but not enough depth to move us forward.
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