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Juneteenth and Pride: Uplifting Black and LGBTQ+ Voices 
"Juneteenth Picnic" by Arthello Beck
"History isn't something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities."

-Marsha P. Johnson
Juneteenth: A Meditation on Truth and Freedom 

By Abeni Bloodworth and Tatiana Seryán
 This month, against the backdrop of 361 voter-suppression bills introduced in 47 states, a global pandemic that is disproportionately killing black people, BLM protests against rampant police brutality, 234 Trump-appointed judges that have shifted the ideological balance of justice in this country, a 164% rise in hate crimes against those of Asian descent, and blistering xenophobic rage, every state in the nation—with the exception of South Dakota will celebrate Juneteenth.

If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is a day of service, then Juneteenth is a day for atonement. It is the day for Black folks to remember and truth-tell. It is a time for us to meditate and understand our current reality within the context of June 19th, 1865. If Dr. King's birthday inspires us to pack lunches for the homeless, paint graffiti tattoos in abandoned spaces, and construct box houses for the poor, then Juneteenth demands that we examine and confront the structural policies that power white supremacy. 

Juneteenth marks the day that Black people in Galveston, TX received news from a Union Army General of the Emancipation Proclamation, three years after it was signed into law. 

In truth, what is often celebrated as a testimony to President Lincoln’s heartfelt desire for justice and racial equality in America was, in fact, the exploitation of Black folk to secure money and political power.
EMBRACING INTERSECTIONALITY
Indya Moore: Our Freedom To Be

Indya Moore shares their reflections on blackness, transness, and the all-too-common failure to recognize the two.  

This recording was made as part of Bear Witness, Take Action, a livestream event assembling artists and activists to listen, learn, and take action in support of the Equal Justice Initiative. Donate here: https://eji.org/ 
IN THE NEWS
Photo by Greenwood Cultural Center / Getty Images
Once overlooked in classrooms, Tulsa race massacre now seen as 'important' lesson in Oklahoma schools
By Daniella Silva

It's a difficult discussion but a necessary one nonetheless.

As of 2019, Oklahoma schools have now expanded resources for teachers looking to teach students about the Tulsa Race Massacre.
As Biden Marks 100 Years Since Tulsa Massacre, Calls Grow for Reparations to Close Racial Wealth Gap

President Biden traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the single greatest acts of racist terrorism in U.S. history. Over a span of 18 hours, a white mob burned down what was known as “Black Wall Street,” the thriving Black neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, and killed an estimated 300 African Americans.
Photo by Bebeto Matthews
What are the origins of Pride Month? And who should we thank for the LGBTQ celebration?
By Gabriela Miranda

For decades, Pride Month has been celebrated in June across the United States. Festivities, parades, and events have been thrown to honor LGBTQ voices and experiences, but also to draw attention to the issues members of the community still face.
SPECIAL EVENTS
National Week of Conversation 2021
June 14-20

National Week of Conversation 2021, the fourth annual, is powered by the #ListenFirst Coalition of 300+ organizations and invites Americans of all stripes to listen, extend grace, and discover common interests.

Pick an event and join the movement!
Data Infrastructure for the
21st Century: A Focus on Racial Equity
June 15

This event will convene a panel of academics to discuss some actionable areas of policy where the Biden administration could take steps to increase the quality and utility of economic data disaggregation and how these steps will lead to better policy outcomes.
Pride 2021 Virtual Events
Month of June

While the country is still in the process of re-opening, many cities are still not prepared for in-person Pride events. Luckily, Eventbrite has compiled a list of LGBTQ+ Pride events for those who want to celebrate safely from home. Check it out!
PODCAST
Justice Matters: Imagining Radical Solutions

In this episode from June of 2020, Angela Glover Blackwell joined host Sushma Raman on this episode of Justice Matters, as they discuss solutions to systemic racial and economic inequity.

Blackwell is a founder of PolicyLink and has spent the last twenty years advocating racial and economic equality through her writing, speaking and leadership. To listen to her thoughts on advancing racial justice, click below.
TOOLS TO BUILD WELL-BEING
Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Syracuse University Libraries Sharing Resources to Reflect on Juneteenth

In observance of Juneteenth, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is partnering with Syracuse University Libraries to share meaningful opportunities to better understand this significant day in American history and reflect on the continued struggle for equity and justice.

Each day of the month leading up to June 19, the University will commemorate Juneteenth by sharing resources to learn more about the Black experience.
Beyond the Rainbow: Your Ultimate Guide to Pride Flags
By Cade Hildreth

Despite this progress, change still needs to happen. It is challenging to be proud of who you are when there are still people and laws that that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Nonetheless, showing off your pride can be incredibly rewarding. There’s so much history behind the different kinds of pride flags that exist today.
Corporate Equality Index 2021
Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.
BRIGHT SPOTS
Visions of Equity
by TIME Magazine

A special project, led by BIPOC staff at TIME, on the fight for racial justice and building a better world
The Story Behind TIME’s First-Ever BIPOC-Led Issue
by TIME Magazine

For all of our focus on telling stories about the need for diversity and inclusion, we needed a push toward centering the voices of our own staff in that work; this was just one of many shifts in perspective we’ve held one another accountable for making over the past year. The result of that conversation is this week’s cover package, Visions of Equity. It’s the first of its kind for TIME—a project dreamed up and led by BIPOC staff.