Today is June 19th, 2020. To many of us, today would have just been another day. However, with the Black Lives Movement, we are now becoming more aware and educated about Juneteenth and its importance, which is so crucial. So first of all what is Juneteenth and why should we celebrate it?
Juneteenth is the celebration of June 19th, 1865 when Union soldiers announced to Texas slaves that the Civil War was over and they were to be freed. It’s interesting to note, that today, 47 states observe this day as a holiday. With this movement, many other citizens and states are pushing to make this a national holiday. Wouldn’t that be cool? This year many well known companies like Amazon, Nike and Target are all observing this day. So how can you celebrate Juneteenth with your family? Here are some ideas:
- Talk about Juneteenth and actually teach your children. That’s the first step. They won’t know what it is, unless they are taught. Having open conversations about racism is hard, but it needs to be done or change cannot happen. There are so many credible sites online for you to research and discover the history of Juneteenth.
- Read books together that are written by Black authors. You can get a good list from the Conscious Kid site. Consider buying some of their books and joining the #blackoutbestsellerlist initiative. There are a lot of great books to read together.
- Listen to music by Black singers. I love listening to Nat King Cole. It reminds me of my grandparents who absolutely loved his music. Introduce your kids to new singers and show them their pictures.
- Eat some yummy soul food which is popular among the African American families. You can go to Pinterest and find a ton of popular foods to try out. Who knows, you just might find your next favorite meal!
- Participate in marches, rallys or walks today. Even in my small town, there is a family friendly march to celebrate Juneteenth and the Black Lives Matter movement.
- Remember to celebrate this year after year. I put it on my calendar so I will remember. This is not a one time and done, this is a yearly celebration that should be celebrated and talked about. Teaching our kids will help the movement continue and move forward.
