This year’s Juneteenth – with its themes of justice delayed, unkept promises, and the work of liberation, is a poignant one. On one hand we are living through a kind of mobilization and militancy most of us have not seen in our lifetimes; the inspiring leadership of young people and  organizations like MBL shows us just how vital Black voices for any kind of equitable and democratic future.  On the other, the torture and murder of George Floyd and so many others remind us just how elusive racial justice has been. And of course, the current pandemic has exposed the precarity and racial fault-lines that so sharply structure peoples lives in New York City and elsewhere. And as we are likely to soon see a tidal-wave of evictions that will disproportionately affect Black and Brown people, we are again reminded of how all of these issues are interlinked.

With all of that in mind, we are passing along virtual events marking Juneteenth, uplifting Black voices, and that invite us to the hard work of liberation and social changes.

From 11AM-1:30PM, we are celebrating Juneteenth at the virtual Block Party Coalition for Educational Justice and Urban Youth Collaborative with music, dance performances, and art.  (Thanks to Make The Road)

At 4PM, we will be attending the #DefundNYPD and Fund Black Communities Juneteenth Teach-in.  We will be learning about how and why we must #DefundPolice & invest in our communities. (Thanks to Community Voices Heard).

At 6:30PM, we will be attending  We Shall Not Be Moved – How to Build a Tenant Union Part 2!  It will honor Juneteenth as explore the linkage between land, housing, Black organizing and liberation.  Guest speakers will be Inquilinxs Unidxs organizers and tenant union activists from the Sky Without Limits community who recently WON their housing after years of struggle in. Come hear about their amazing victory as well as the powerful work of Black housing justice organizing from City Life/Vida Urbana, Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative and ONE DC.  (Thanks to Homes for All)