With this year’s Juneteenth coming in the midst of a transformational political moment, Prism spotlighted coverage of the ongoing fight for Black liberation. In case you missed it, here are a few of this week’s top stories.
This Juneteenth, we must remember the movement for Black liberation is far from over (Indianna Taylor)
Juneteenth celebrates the physical liberation of enslaved Black Americans, but it also highlights the tardiness of Texas in accepting progress, since Texas was the last state to free enslaved people. As a Texas organizer, I can see the same hesitation in our state’s local officials to accept the new realities and the progressive shift that seems to be happening broadly in America.
How the Movement 4 Black Lives is turning Juneteenth into a weekend of action (Tamar Sarai Davis & Anoa Changa)
The campaign, SixNineteen, will launch this Friday, June 19, and take place over the course of the weekend, with actions occurring online as well as in the streets. SixNineteen will be anchored in three core demands: defunding the police, investing in Black communities by funding community-based resources, and calling for the resignation of President Donald Trump.
SNCC reflects on 60 years of multigenerational organizing (Anoa Changa)
Between the scaling up of mutual aid work across the country, organizing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the sustained uprisings and solidarity protests over the past few weeks, all facets of American life and institutions are being forced to reckon with generations of oppression and subjugation. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) has been at the forefront of this work for 60 years. Celebrating its anniversary this past April, SNCC continues to teach the public while simultaneously providing space for new voices and leaders.
‘Things are hard and scary’ right now for Black trans women: Q&A with Janetta Johnson (Tina Vasquez)
We need Black trans people in the conversation about “police reform” because we should not be talking about reform. We should be talking about abolition of the police and reinvesting the police budget into our communities. We need to focus on permanent housing, education, and health care that is safe for Black and Indigenous [transgender, gender-variant, and intersex people]. We need to invest in Black communities, especially Black TGI communities. We need to fully defund and divest from the police.
As always, stick with Prism for more original journalism and insightful commentary that centers the perspectives of impacted people. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Daily Kos to make sure you never miss a story. See you next week.
