John,
Just last week, Black families and communities came together nationwide to celebrate and remember Juneteenth — just as we have every year since 1865. Juneteenth celebrates June 19th, 1865, the day when the Union Army issued an order proclaiming the emancipation of the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. The name Juneteenth comes from a blending of the date.
Juneteenth has and will always represent our freedom, liberation, past, and future. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us as we inherit the obligation to continue the work to build a free future for all Black people. But we continue grappling with the tension between celebrating freedom and justice and the struggle to permanently secure both.
Juneteenth has and will always represent our freedom, liberation, past, and future. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us as we inherit the obligation to continue the work to build a free future for all Black people. But we continue grappling with the tension between celebrating freedom and justice and the struggle to permanently secure both.
Even as we rejoice in our successes, we recognize that the sanctioning of our holiday rings hollow if the relentless machine of late-stage capitalism further exploits our culture. Y'all, these corporations are making money off our celebration of FREEDOM when all of our people aren’t free! 😐😐😐
All corporations who have supported and rallied behind the Black Lives Matter Movement, it's beyond time to act on it. Act on your claims to value Black life and push for reparations instead of trying to exploit us. Your statement or Black Lives Matter banner across your website is insufficient.
Our demands are simple. Without reparations, the structural discrimination that purposely holds Black people back will continue to thrive — it's something we simply refuse to accept. Sign the open letter across the U.S. and demand all “supportive” corporations publicly support reparations and act NOW >>
We know corporations and big business leaders will attempt to co-opt our message and thwart our demands for reparations and full freedom. Black people in the U.S. have been forced to experience the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, low wages, health disparities, incarceration inequities, and so much more.
While we are not opposed to Juneteenth recognition, we ARE opposed to corporate America using Black pain, Black joy, Black victories, and Black history as an opportunity to line their pockets without investing back into OUR communities. Stop exploiting our holiday.
Businesses and corporations should loudly announce their public support for reparations immediately if they truly believe that Black Lives Matter.
Reparations are essential to the overall betterment of Black people, which is why we need as much help as we can get to protect our freedom and prevent a vicious cycle of capitalism. If you agree, sign our open letter to corporations everywhere in the fight for long-overdue reparations.
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter
