This year Juneteenth is especially meaningful, as people of all backgrounds have gathered to raise their voices and declare: Black Lives Matter. EWG stands in solidarity with Black, Indigenous and other people of color and redoubles our commitment to support and join leaders in the fight against racial injustice.

Juneteenth commemorates the day when word finally reached Galveston, Texas, home of the most remote enslaved people in the U.S., that the Civil War had ended and they were free — nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation formally ended slavery.

Although slavery wasn’t legally abolished until December 1865, and though today incarcerated people continue to be forced into labor, Juneteenth has become a day to celebrate the end of slavery in this country.

To that end, we’re using our email and social media platform to highlight organizations we believe are leading the way with their focus on racial injustices and environmental racism. For decades, communities of color have been forced to bear a far greater burden from pollution and a lack of access to food and consumer products free from ingredients that are inferior and harm their health.

In honor of Juneteenth, please consider learning more about these environmental justice organizations and making a donation.