By Rev. Brittany Graves
Celebrating Juneteenth or Freedom Day felt different for me this year and last year too. In Texas where I grew up, we had battle of the bands every year around Juneteenth weekend, where we came together through singing each verse of the black national anthem, eating great food, watching collegiate bands perform and dancing to live music. It was events like this that commemorate our resilience as black people. It was ours!
Last year, as more non-black people came to know what it meant (if they hadn’t known already). It took away the celebration element and turned it into an educational moment for everyone else not privy to the commemoration to ask black people to teach and hold space for their learning. It felt much like a disruption keeping us from embracing our culture, joy and perseverance, and instead hold space for someone else to understand it, first.
This year one thing that America did well is capitalize off the day by making Juneteenth a national holiday, which for many came with questions about what else. Along with national recognition of the day, will it come with actualized freedom and better treatment?
Still, we rise holding two truths: one of celebration for Juneteenth and the other a continued fight for justice. See the resources below on how to learn and support movements toward equity and freedom like the Poor People’s Campaign and faith leaders such as, Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Jennifer Butler who were arrested June 23 on Captiol Hill during a Moral March on Manchin & McConnell to stand against voter suppression, the filibuster, and political retrogression.
Resources:
Questions to consider:
- What is a way you can bring or stand for justice in your everyday life?
- What movements feel important for you to become involved in?
Prayer:
Thinking about the freedoms given to some and not to others has a chant you often hear at Poor People’s Campaign rallies on my mind. It is called Somebody’s Hurting my Brother by Yara Allen. To listen to it being sung watch this video or read the lyrics below. Let it be our prayer for this moment in our fight for justice.
Somebody’s hurting my brother
and it’s gone on far too long
Yes, it’s gone on far too long
It’s gone on far too long
I said, somebody’s hurting my brother
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Oh, somebody’s poisoning the water
and it’s gone on far too long
I said it’s gone on far too long
Yes, it’s gone on far too long
Oh, somebody’s poisoning the water
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Somebody’s ignoring the homeless
and it’s gone on far too long
I said it’s gone on far too long
Oh, it’s gone on far too long
Oh, somebody’s ignoring the homeless
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Somebody’s hurting my sisters
and it’s gone on far too long
I said it’s gone on far too long
Oh, it’s gone on far too long
Oh, somebody’s hurting my sister
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Rev. Brittany Graves is national coordinator, Public Witness & Advocacy, American Baptist Home Mission Societies. She welcomes your input at [email protected] and engagement on Instagram @ambitiouslyBrittany.
Photo by Snapwire from Pexels
By Rev. Brittany Graves
Celebrating Juneteenth or Freedom Day felt different for me this year and last year too. In Texas where I grew up, we had battle of the bands every year around Juneteenth weekend, where we came together through singing each verse of the black national anthem, eating great food, watching collegiate bands perform and dancing to live music. It was events like this that commemorate our resilience as black people. It was ours!
Last year, as more non-black people came to know what it meant (if they hadn’t known already). It took away the celebration element and turned it into an educational moment for everyone else not privy to the commemoration to ask black people to teach and hold space for their learning. It felt much like a disruption keeping us from embracing our culture, joy and perseverance, and instead hold space for someone else to understand it, first.
This year one thing that America did well is capitalize off the day by making Juneteenth a national holiday, which for many came with questions about what else. Along with national recognition of the day, will it come with actualized freedom and better treatment?
Still, we rise holding two truths: one of celebration for Juneteenth and the other a continued fight for justice. See the resources below on how to learn and support movements toward equity and freedom like the Poor People’s Campaign and faith leaders such as, Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Jennifer Butler who were arrested June 23 on Captiol Hill during a Moral March on Manchin & McConnell to stand against voter suppression, the filibuster, and political retrogression.
Resources:
Questions to consider:
Prayer:
Thinking about the freedoms given to some and not to others has a chant you often hear at Poor People’s Campaign rallies on my mind. It is called Somebody’s Hurting my Brother by Yara Allen. To listen to it being sung watch this video or read the lyrics below. Let it be our prayer for this moment in our fight for justice.
Somebody’s hurting my brother
and it’s gone on far too long
Yes, it’s gone on far too long
It’s gone on far too long
I said, somebody’s hurting my brother
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Oh, somebody’s poisoning the water
and it’s gone on far too long
I said it’s gone on far too long
Yes, it’s gone on far too long
Oh, somebody’s poisoning the water
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Somebody’s ignoring the homeless
and it’s gone on far too long
I said it’s gone on far too long
Oh, it’s gone on far too long
Oh, somebody’s ignoring the homeless
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Somebody’s hurting my sisters
and it’s gone on far too long
I said it’s gone on far too long
Oh, it’s gone on far too long
Oh, somebody’s hurting my sister
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore
Rev. Brittany Graves is national coordinator, Public Witness & Advocacy, American Baptist Home Mission Societies. She welcomes your input at [email protected] and engagement on Instagram @ambitiouslyBrittany.
Photo by Snapwire from Pexels