On June 19, 2020, at a time when our nation is grappling with how to address systemic injustices, we must continue to strive to live up to our ideals. We must act for dignity, fairness and justice for everyone, regardless of race, immigration status or country of origin.

Yesterday, the Forum celebrated a historic U.S. Supreme Court decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and were reminded of the need for a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers.

Today, the Forum is closed as we observe Juneteenth and reflect on how we, as an organization and as individuals, can take action that is both meaningful and sustainable in the struggle for racial justice.

Juneteenth has historically been celebrated in African American communities to commemorate the end of slavery — more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. From the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth: “Although it has long [been] celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans. The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.”

So, in honor of Juneteenth, instead of our regular array of immigration news, we wanted to pass along essays and conversations from a range of voices speaking to the need for racial justice and healing at this most fraught of times.

Be well.

HOLY POST – One of the nation’s leading Black pastors, Dr. Charlie Dates of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, has been sharing thoughtful conversations via Instagram with influential white evangelical leaders. Pastor Dates’ conversations with Beth Moore of Living Proof Ministries and Dr. Russell Moore of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention are worth your time. Meanwhile, Christian author, speaker and filmmaker Phil Vischer, as part of Holy Post, published an excellent explainer video on race in America with a data-driven history lesson on how the legacy of slavery is still felt today. 

BREATH – Cardinal Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark put it quite clearly in his Pentecost Sunday homily: “COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd, the needless deaths of so many people of color, the shameless exploitation of social division for personal gratification or political gain. These are apocalyptic events that are not meant simply to scare us — to take our breath away — but to warn us of serious trouble on the horizon as well as the true meaning the peril that is already among us. We desperately need to breathe, so that we can recognize that the efforts by people of great power to divide us are diametrically opposed to the plan God has for this world.”

BRIDGE BUILDERS – Author, speaker and activist Latasha Morrison, founder of Be The Bridge, a Christian organization that trains people to overcome racial divisions, has a new book, “Be The Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation.” Anne Kennedy’s review in Christianity Today highlights a standout line from the book: “Bridge builders don’t deny hurt. They experience it. Sit in it. Feel it. But they don’t stay in that pain. They don’t allow those who’ve wounded them to control them or constantly drive them back to anger and resentment. Instead, they allow that pain to continually push them into forgiveness.”

TODAY’S REALITIES (1/2) – In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of “Just Mercy” shared his experience as a Black man in America today. “It’s not just anger over what happened to George Floyd or Breonna Taylor or Ahmaud Arbery. It is anger about continuing to live in a world where there is this presumption of dangerousness and guilt wherever you go,” he explained. “And I can just tell you that, when you have to navigate this presumption of guilt, day in and day out, and when the burden is on you to make the people around you see you as fully human and equal, you get exhausted.”

TODAY’S REALITIES (2/2) – Larry Madowo, a Kenyan journalist, moved to the U.S. last year. Since then, he writes in an article for the BBC, his experiences with racism have shown him that while America may often be considered the land of freedom and opportunity, “it would still reduce me to the colour of my skin and find me unworthy. It did not matter that I am from a black majority African nation, people who look like me here have to negotiate for their humanity with a system that constantly alienates, erases and punishes them.”

AN AWAKENING – Two friends who both live in Aurora, Illinois — one black, one Hmong — write honestly about their own experiences with racism in a piece for Christianity Today. Dr. Theon Hill, assistant professor of communication at Wheaton College, and Daniel Yang, director of the Send Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, conclude: “We must be unrelenting in our criticism of unjust structures, loving in our concern for humanity, and willing to sacrifice our social and political capital when necessary to stand on the unchanging truth of the God of justice.”

JUSTICE – Last week, I talked to Dr. Walter Strickland of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for “Only in America.” Dr. Strickland talked about how a history of systemic racism has affected Black Americans, and the role of the church in advocating for racial and immigrant justice.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you a meaningful Juneteenth.

Ali