Happy Juneteenth!
Our ancestors bind us to the continued honoring of this day. We welcome and embrace the opportunity since we know that as we commemorate this Juneteenth holiday — in 2022 — so many Black people, so many descendants of enslaved people, have yet to experience true and full freedom. This freedom was promised in our nation’s founding documents to some, but was denied to Black people.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865: the day that Union Army Major Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told slaves of their emancipation. “In accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free,” Granger read to a crowd. That day came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
To be clear, even Juneteenth didn’t mean freedom. Though the 13th amendment, ratified six months later, legally ended slavery, Black people still found themselves frequently victimized because of their race. The struggle for realized freedom continues today in ways that sometimes look like 1865. And while that struggle may not manifest as fighting against physical enslavement, the fight against mental, emotional, financial enslavement, white rage, and white supremacy endures.
At CT3, we align our internal decisions, our planning, and our work to anti-racism — moving beyond equity and always acting with “persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination,” as Kendi reminds us. This means we act within our definition of anti-racism.
CT3 defines being anti-racist as the act of taking risks to:
- Constantly question and evaluate oppression based on race.
- Deconstruct the personal and structural behaviors, systems, and policies that support oppression.
- Build equitable replacements that create a more racially just world.
In addition to applying our definition, we also support the larger communities, where we work with financial investments that deepen impact for scholars and seek out Black-owned service providers, contractors and vendors to align within our work.
Join us as we remember and honor the countless Black people who perished, who survived, and who continue to live with the enduring generational trauma of slavery. We recognize that freedom is still in development, so we continually support and encourage calls to action and community involvement in support of full freedom for Black people. Find and support Juneteenth activities in your community this weekend!
Check out CT3 Education programs such as No-Nonsense Nurturer, Real Time Teacher Coaching, and Real Time Leadership Coaching to find out more about Professional Development for Teachers and Leaders, classroom management strategies, and building relationships with students and their families.
Category: Anti-Racism
