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John, we hope you’re staying cool this summer.
June is a month of both joy and justice, an intentional celebration of resilience, community, and the power found in togetherness. Amid the heaviness of ongoing struggles against inequality and violence, we find strength in our collective joy, in laughter shared at cookouts, music that moves our bodies, and the warmth of summer days spent together. Justice and joy aren't separate; they sustain each other. In June, we uplift these intertwined energies, affirming that thriving, joyful communities are not only possible but essential in our ongoing journey toward liberation and equity.
Juneteenth we celebrated at Santa Monica pier and across the country as a reminder that Juneteenth is all about us! They tried to water it down and turn it into a long weekend. But we know what this day means.
We gather. We create. We remember. We imagine. Not out of pain, but out of joy. Our joy is resistance and it’s not up for negotiation, this month or any month!
Please keep reading to learn more about all that we accomplished for Black liberation in June.
Equity Week
Equity Week is a powerful, weeklong celebration of Black LGBTQ+/SGL brilliance, leadership, and movement-building that occurred June 11-14 in Washington, D.C.
Equity Week is NBJC's signature week of action, a sacred gathering of changemakers, artists, advocates, and allies. Together, we pushed for transformative policies, celebrated Black queer excellence, and honored our freedom fighters.
Petty Tyrant Watch 🙄
Dysfunctional is the ONLY word to use to describe Trump’s actions this month. See more below!
Bye Elon
Elon Musk says he’s walking away from the Trump administration—but after the catastrophic damage he’s caused, we’re not letting him slip out quietly.
Whether Elon is actually leaving or not one thing is clear: we’re forever going to hold Elon accountable for all the harm that he’s caused.
Add your name to tell Elon Musk goodbye, good riddance, and that we’ll be holding him accountable.
Juneteenth on the Santa Monica Pier
Ebony Beach Club was founded in 1957 by Silas White in Los Angeles. It was set to open as an exclusive Black social club that created space for leisure and escape during the Jim Crow era.
The city of Santa Monica blocked the Ebony Beach Club from ever opening but its spirit never died; it evolved.
The Santa Monica Pier which was once a site of exclusion for Black beachgoers is now the place for reclamation as we dance, surf, swim, and celebrate.
That’s why we hosted a Juneteenth celebration at Santa Monica Pier in partnership with Ebony Beach Club. That’s right, we shut down Santa Monica Pier to celebrate Black joy, culture, and freedom this Juneteenth!
BLM’s Africa Trip
In June, Black Lives Matter traveled to Ghana, reconnecting with our global community and deepening our commitment to Black flourishing across the globe.
In partnership with AfriKicks and the Afro-Arab Group, we delivered over 5,000 pairs of shoes, 40,000 toys, and $150,000 worth of clothing.
We visited villages to drop off food for children who desperately needed it.
We built water wells in communities in dry regions where they offer hope of a future where daily survival is not a battle against scarcity.
Blackness is global, fam. We know this seems like common sense, but too many times it’s easy to forget this and get caught up in our own bubbles.
Black people across the globe are striving for Black liberation every day and this month we’ve honored the stories, leaders, and moments that have spread throughout the Black diaspora.
Protests in Los Angeles
Earlier this month, the people of LA peacefully protested brutal ICE tactics: targeting school graduations, detaining labor leaders without cause, and kidnapping people out of parking lots. ICE’s tactics are designed to tear apart Black and Brown immigrant families and communities, which is why Angelenos are coming together to protest.
In response, the Trump administration mobilized 700 Marines and seized control of the California National Guard, hoping to inflame the situation, intimidate protestors, and suppress Angelenos’ right to free speech.
This militarized response is not just deeply alarming, unconstitutional, or a waste of >$130 million. It's also a clear demonstration of the administration’s commitment to maintaining white supremacy through intimidation and brute force.
The fight against ICE is our fight.
We can’t have Black liberation without abolishing ICE. We need freedom from the policing of bodies and borders.
We will continue to organize against state-sanctioned violence, surveillance, incarceration, and displacement. Whether it’s ICE vans or police helicopters, Black and Brown communities continuously experience tactics designed to break our spirits.
Yet we refuse to be broken.
Despite burying loved ones lost to state violence, we rise daily to protect each other, nurture our communities, and build resistance. Even under severe intimidation, we continue to organize, speak out, reclaim our collective power, and imagine a future free from state violence.
Torture Awareness Month
Did you know June is Torture Awareness Month, John? It’s okay if you didn’t.
Most people don’t even know that Torture Awareness Month exists. Even fewer know that torture is happening right here, on U.S. soil, every single day.
That’s why Black Lives Matter is teaming up with the Unlock the Box Campaign to break the silence and bring awareness to the human rights crisis happening right here every single day: solitary confinement.
Solitary confinement is torture, that’s a fact. It’s recognized as such by the United Nations, international human rights organizations, and mental health experts around the world but the U.S. isolates hundreds of thousands of people daily, often for months, years, or decades.
Learn more about the fight to abolish solitary confinement and sign up to receive our toolkit to find ways to take action by clicking here!
Father’s Day
Black fatherhood has always been foundational: filled with love, strength, guidance, and unwavering presence. Yet too often, our society diminishes or erases the narratives of Black fathers who tirelessly nurture their families and communities.
Healthy Black fatherhood is far too absent from popular culture, TV, movies, and literature.
Oftentime, we associate community care with femininity but it can come in many different forms. We know Black fathers showing care to their families, and loved ones IS community care.
Part of Black liberation is uncovering our community’s story and truth outside of the lens of white supremacy and colonialism. That means seeing Black fatherhood as the pillar of strength and love when it is far too often dismissed.
Thank you for reading!
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More soon,
Black Lives Matter
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