Day 3: What’s a Generational Legacy?
Greetings friends,
Today is Juneteenth! It’s a good day to think about generational legacies.
What does that mean? Generational legacies have to do with the way the past has shaped us, what our families have passed down, the reality that what we experience today is made up of choices, structures and histories that came before us—these are part of the racial legacies we all inherit.
Juneteeth has been commemorated for generations by Black people. It honors the day—June 19, 1863—when Union troops arrived to Galveston Bay, Texas to announce the news of emancipation, which had actually gone into effect a full six months early (on January 1 of that year). There’s an incredible chapter in Clint Smith’s book, How the Word is Passed, which is about the power of memory, where Smith describes what he experienced when he participated in Galveston’s annual Juneteenth celebration in.
In Iowa, where I live, the 2024 theme for Juneteenth is “Remembering our history. Releasing the past. Reshaping our future.” There are all kinds of events to educate all of us (we white folks too) and inspire us to take actions together today for a more just racial future. So, here’s a bonus action step in honor of Juneteenth—or a re-do if you didn’t take one of your steps in the last two days—right now, go look up what’s going on in your area and pop on over to participate. While you’re at it, take note of the organizations that are sponsoring these events.
Do this for the sake of your own learning and to offer Black people in your community your visible support. Take your kids. Invite a friend.
Now, onto today’s video!
In today’s video I talked about two efforts to repair the injustices that exist today because of generational legacies: Acts of Reparation and the Community Remembrance Project sponsored by the Equal Justice Initiative.
Here’s your concrete action for today. Take a half-hour or so to read through and watch the videos produced by and about work of these two community-based initiatives. Sign up for updates to these projects.
This action isn’t merely about consuming knowledge.
Remembering, repair and reparation brings those of us who are white into contact with the material and moral debt white communities owe to Black and Brown communities. But it does more than that. Racial division in our society is a consequence of racial harm existing between white communities and communities of color. Beginning to open ourselves to and, then, joini with others to find ways to redress the harm that has been done that we can move ever hope to move into relationships rooted in justice and love across racial lines.
To explicitly learn not only about our shared racial histories (which bequeathed white communities and communities of color different legacies), but how people today are together engaging in repair-focused, transformational work in relationship to that history and to one another is a vital part of our antiracism journey.
To listen and learn about how folks are coming together already to talk about and do the work of remembrance and repair is an action. Next thing you know you’ll be plugging in with them to do it too, or finding folks who are already at it in our local context.
I’d love to hear back from you about what moves, challenges or inspires you from Acts of Reparation and the Community Remembrance Project. Let me know!
See you tomorrow.
Jen
Day 1: Make a list of at least three specific ways you want to grow your lived commitment to antiracism.
Day 2: Talk with two people about what you need to do to interrupt, intervene or challenge a racist dynamic or situation and get their support in envisioning how to do it.
P.S. Save the date: Join me and others who took part in this experience for a live conversation on Tuesday, July 9th at 5:00 PST/6:00 MST/7:00 CST/8:00 EST as a way to wrap up and reflect on our 12 Days of Action. We’ll follow up with the link shortly.
P.P.S. It’s not too late to sign up for 12 Days of Antiracist Action! Share this sign up link with your friends and we’ll help them get caught up: https://mailchi.mp/10b7b14d2037/murwtz2krf
