I already signed up for donations to a couple of organizations that support black businesses. I got a list from one of the multiple organizations I donate to on sub stack.
On this Juneteenth, may I suggest we all pull down a copy of The 1619 Project, which many of us bought when it was published in 2021. (Or check out a copy at your public library, when it opens tomorrow.) The book was published in the hopeful days of the Biden administration, when the reactionary mindlessness of the Trump administration had, we thought, been defeated. Even keeping in mind the election denials and, yes, even January 6, when insurrectionists attacked and disgraced our Capitol, many felt that Trump had been dealt a fatal blow, and Trumpism was a sorry but temporary break in our nation’s path of progress.
Millions of American bought this book. It was a huge bestseller. But many of us only browsed through it, thinking perhaps, "I had enlightened courses in American history in school and college. I know much of the general arc of this story and the injustice perpetrated on Black people by whites over our nation's history. But, thank God, we've moved beyond that."
Still,. many in our nation celebrated the restoration of justice in the Biden/Harris election and bought The 1619 Project as a kind of a ritual act, a ceremonial tribute to those who fought the battles of the past. A purchase celebrate the basic goodness of all people in America, the essential courage of those of all colors and creeds who fought to make justice rain down like a river on this flawed Republic of ours that had now in 2020 elected a Black woman to be the Vice President of the United States.
We were naive. Let us revisit this text now and its complex and much praised lessons, for now we are in the fight of our lives for the soul of the country. Just as there is the oft-cited arc bending inexorably toward justice that Martin Luther King extolled ("The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”), we now see a formidable arc of hatred, deceit, arrogance, anti-science, racism, sexism, brazen ignorance, and unChristian christian nationalism (sic — I hesitate to capitalize the term of their abhorrent core beliefs; nothing Christ-like about this crowd).
We must recognize that the United States is now in the grips of a majority in the Senate and the House and of course in the Executive Branch and the Supreme Court who are poised, even eager, to ban a book like The 1619 Project and shove through their Project 2025, which wants to take us back to 1865 or even more horribly to a theocratic and autocratic future tyranny. We now live in a country where the President is deploying the military in an acknowledged attempt to strike at the core of the “Democrat Power Center,” in other words, to harm the opposition party, where the Secretary of Defense refuses to renounce the possibility of ordering these same troops to fire on demonstrators, and the Republican majority is ready to raise the debt-ceiling to economy-crushing levels, close hundreds of hospitals and take away health care for millions of Americans to give a tax break to the richest among us. Meanwhile, 90 million eligible voters did not vote in the last election; and those that did chose Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in both the popular and electoral vote.
The 1619 Project has much to teach us It chronicles the arc of justice in competition with the arc of cruelty, greed, and irrational hatred. We have just come off a great success in the No Kings Day rallies. My spirit, too, has been lifted by the growing power and enthusiasm in the eight demonstrations at which I have raised my voice for a vision of America that I deeply thought most people of the country shared -- democratic, progressive, kind, communal, tolerant, and loving. Yet, I know that many of my fellow citizens decidedly do not share the values I thought were foundational to our Republic.
The only guarantee that “a government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” lies in our hard work, our study, our fervor, and our eagerness to fight for the justice and freedom that are never given, but can only be won again and again. We must commit ourselves, and inspire others, to do what Lincoln called “the unfinished work,” “the great task remaining before us” that this “nation will have a new birth of freedom.”
We should have no illusions that the road ahead will be easy or short. The money, power, and entrenched prejudice arrayed against us are powerful and will do much damage. But just as Project 1619 offers a somber story of cruelty, betrayal, hatred, and greed. It also shows a profound story of courage and endurance that should be part of the legacy of all Americans.
* Arizona Native Democrats (https://www.arizonanativedemocrats.org/) which works to empower voters on Arizona Sovereign lands - this used to be Northeast Arizona Native Democrats, but they have expanded to sovereign lands beyond where they have worked in the past. Hence the name change. This group is very impactful and has a proven record of success: https://www.arizonanativedemocrats.org/our-impact
If you're looking for a way to deal with stress, here's a link to a post called "Finding Anchors in the Face of Stress". Access to this and other posts are free. Stay resilient. Happy Juneteenth!
Glad you’re taking the day off: I unexpectedly have it off from caregiving for a grandchild because my child has the day off. Very grateful for a day to rest and recharge.
THANKS JESS--- I'm little dismayed to have read (from national Indivisible?) that the next peaceful assembly of our growing nonviolent resistance multitudes is scheduled for Thursday July 17 (to honor the anniversary of John Lewis's death). I believe John Lewis would join me in saying Honor working people! -- and continue our tradition that has worked well-- with SATURDAY (or Sunday) gatherings.
Would love to amplify Equity Before Birth! An amazing Black-woman led organization tackling maternal and infant mortality in North Carolina!
Also a day of remembrance for those that were enslaved and mistreated. Must not go back. 🌸🙏🏼
I already signed up for donations to a couple of organizations that support black businesses. I got a list from one of the multiple organizations I donate to on sub stack.
Thanks Jess, yes we must remember Juneteenth. Thank you Joe Biden, for making today a national holiday!
Shhhhhhh. If you say that part out loud, the current OOO will try his damnedest to get rid of it.
On this Juneteenth, may I suggest we all pull down a copy of The 1619 Project, which many of us bought when it was published in 2021. (Or check out a copy at your public library, when it opens tomorrow.) The book was published in the hopeful days of the Biden administration, when the reactionary mindlessness of the Trump administration had, we thought, been defeated. Even keeping in mind the election denials and, yes, even January 6, when insurrectionists attacked and disgraced our Capitol, many felt that Trump had been dealt a fatal blow, and Trumpism was a sorry but temporary break in our nation’s path of progress.
Millions of American bought this book. It was a huge bestseller. But many of us only browsed through it, thinking perhaps, "I had enlightened courses in American history in school and college. I know much of the general arc of this story and the injustice perpetrated on Black people by whites over our nation's history. But, thank God, we've moved beyond that."
Still,. many in our nation celebrated the restoration of justice in the Biden/Harris election and bought The 1619 Project as a kind of a ritual act, a ceremonial tribute to those who fought the battles of the past. A purchase celebrate the basic goodness of all people in America, the essential courage of those of all colors and creeds who fought to make justice rain down like a river on this flawed Republic of ours that had now in 2020 elected a Black woman to be the Vice President of the United States.
We were naive. Let us revisit this text now and its complex and much praised lessons, for now we are in the fight of our lives for the soul of the country. Just as there is the oft-cited arc bending inexorably toward justice that Martin Luther King extolled ("The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”), we now see a formidable arc of hatred, deceit, arrogance, anti-science, racism, sexism, brazen ignorance, and unChristian christian nationalism (sic — I hesitate to capitalize the term of their abhorrent core beliefs; nothing Christ-like about this crowd).
We must recognize that the United States is now in the grips of a majority in the Senate and the House and of course in the Executive Branch and the Supreme Court who are poised, even eager, to ban a book like The 1619 Project and shove through their Project 2025, which wants to take us back to 1865 or even more horribly to a theocratic and autocratic future tyranny. We now live in a country where the President is deploying the military in an acknowledged attempt to strike at the core of the “Democrat Power Center,” in other words, to harm the opposition party, where the Secretary of Defense refuses to renounce the possibility of ordering these same troops to fire on demonstrators, and the Republican majority is ready to raise the debt-ceiling to economy-crushing levels, close hundreds of hospitals and take away health care for millions of Americans to give a tax break to the richest among us. Meanwhile, 90 million eligible voters did not vote in the last election; and those that did chose Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in both the popular and electoral vote.
The 1619 Project has much to teach us It chronicles the arc of justice in competition with the arc of cruelty, greed, and irrational hatred. We have just come off a great success in the No Kings Day rallies. My spirit, too, has been lifted by the growing power and enthusiasm in the eight demonstrations at which I have raised my voice for a vision of America that I deeply thought most people of the country shared -- democratic, progressive, kind, communal, tolerant, and loving. Yet, I know that many of my fellow citizens decidedly do not share the values I thought were foundational to our Republic.
The only guarantee that “a government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” lies in our hard work, our study, our fervor, and our eagerness to fight for the justice and freedom that are never given, but can only be won again and again. We must commit ourselves, and inspire others, to do what Lincoln called “the unfinished work,” “the great task remaining before us” that this “nation will have a new birth of freedom.”
We should have no illusions that the road ahead will be easy or short. The money, power, and entrenched prejudice arrayed against us are powerful and will do much damage. But just as Project 1619 offers a somber story of cruelty, betrayal, hatred, and greed. It also shows a profound story of courage and endurance that should be part of the legacy of all Americans.
We must pay attention and continue to act.
In an email from Common Cause today, there is a list of Black-led democracy partners in each state:
https://www.commoncause.org/articles/commemorating-juneteenth/?source=20250619_Juneteenth_FS&link_id=1&can_id=e0a56a394289c44146da4a31d0500937&email_referrer=email_2782186&email_subject=a-call-to-action
Thsanks for these links!
I currently support several organizations that focus on Black/BIPOC voters and/or a multi-racial coalition of rural working class voters:
* Center for Common Ground (https://www.centerforcommonground.org/) - Reclaim our Vote is their outreach program using postcards and phone banking
* New Rural Project (https://www.newruralproject.org/) focuses on 7 economically distressed counties in NC
* Down Home North Carolina (https://downhomenc.org/) which works with multi-racial working class voters in NC
* Rural Ground Game (https://www.ruralgroundgame.org/) - Postcards 4VA is coordinating The "Wake Up Virginia" postcard campaigns with RGG
* New Georgia Project (https://newgeorgiaproject.org/)
* Arizona Native Democrats (https://www.arizonanativedemocrats.org/) which works to empower voters on Arizona Sovereign lands - this used to be Northeast Arizona Native Democrats, but they have expanded to sovereign lands beyond where they have worked in the past. Hence the name change. This group is very impactful and has a proven record of success: https://www.arizonanativedemocrats.org/our-impact
I posted this list of postcarding opportunities on another substack to which I subscribe this morning:
https://substack.com/@cj277/note/c-127422406
I also want to amplify K. Starling's Substack which is packed full of ways to up your game:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thepeopledissent/p/7-ways-to-resist-this-week-and-a?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
If you're looking for a way to deal with stress, here's a link to a post called "Finding Anchors in the Face of Stress". Access to this and other posts are free. Stay resilient. Happy Juneteenth!
https://longcovidjourney2wellness.substack.com/p/finding-anchors-in-the-face-of-stress
Glad you’re taking the day off: I unexpectedly have it off from caregiving for a grandchild because my child has the day off. Very grateful for a day to rest and recharge.
Thank you, Jessica! I definitely need a day of rest.
Enjoy your day off! You deserve it 😉
THANKS JESS--- I'm little dismayed to have read (from national Indivisible?) that the next peaceful assembly of our growing nonviolent resistance multitudes is scheduled for Thursday July 17 (to honor the anniversary of John Lewis's death). I believe John Lewis would join me in saying Honor working people! -- and continue our tradition that has worked well-- with SATURDAY (or Sunday) gatherings.
As much as I despise Tucker Carlson , it was a kick to see him eviscerate the clueless Ted Cruz
Thank you for all you do and I hope you enjoy a very relaxing day off.
Jess, hope you have a wonderful day, you richly deserve it!