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Friend,
This Saturday is Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States — which happened two and a half years after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. In 2021, many companies and media corporations are talking about Juneteenth. Some workplaces get the day off, while others exploit it as a marketing opportunity.
Yet, anyone who has been paying attention can tell you that Black people are not truly free in the United States. Violence against Black people is systemic. It’s ingrained in every aspect of society — and therefore must be consciously undone everywhere.
This Juneteenth, Free Press’ Media 2070 project is calling for anti-Blackness to be dismantled within the U.S. media system. Sign our petition calling on newsrooms to dismantle anti-Black racism in the media and care for Black communities and journalists.
Anti-Black racism has been part of our media system’s DNA since colonial times. Media organizations were complicit in the slave trade and profited off of chattel slavery; racist journalism has led to countless lynchings; Southern broadcast stations aired vociferous opposition to integration; and, in the 21st century, many media organizations continue to prop up police and spread harmful narratives about Black people who have been murdered by cops.
We need newsrooms to care for Black communities, to avoid parroting police narratives about Black people and to actively trust and support Black journalists. Sign our petition calling on local, regional and national newspapers to pledge to dismantle anti-Black racism in the media and care for Black communities and journalists.
Some newsrooms are already committed to dismantling anti-Blackness and caring for Black journalists,1 but many are not. We need all media outlets to do this work for the future of our communities and the future of journalism alike.
We know that transforming newsrooms alone won’t change the entire media system. We’ll need commitment from media-makers, journalists, editors, media owners and media regulators alike to make this a reality. But signing the pledge is a step toward co-creating that future. Share the pledge with local, regional and national newsrooms today.
In solidarity,
Alicia and the rest of the Media 2070 team
media2070.org
P.S. Anti-Black racism has been baked into our media system since colonial times. It’s long past time for change: Urge newsrooms to dismantle anti-Black racism in the media and pledge to care for Black communities and journalists.
1. “We’re Calling on Newsrooms and Media Organizations to Pledge to Care for Black Communities and Journalists,” Media 2070 via Medium, April 29, 2021
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