John,

Juneteenth is a day when we celebrate freedom and the Black experience in America.

For many people, the first time they heard about Juneteenth was when Congress made it a federal holiday last year. But the history is so much richer than that.

Black Texans have long celebrated Juneteenth to honor the liberation of the last enslaved Black people in Texas. Juneteenth represents the first time in the United States where all Black people were recognized as free.

The Emancipation Proclamation declared chattel slavery illegal in Confederate states on January 1, 1863. And yet, for over two years white human traffickers in Texas continued their racial terrorism and kept Black people enslaved.

On June 19, 1865, Union Army General Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and liberated all 250,000 people who were still enslaved. But this news went underreported – many Texas newspapers didn’t even write about it.

The fight for freedom continues to this day, but it was important to the freed Black people of Texas to remember their struggle. They chose to commemorate June 19th and called it Juneteenth.

Today white supremacy shows up everywhere – including in our care systems. Black family caregivers – especially Black women – represent a disproportionate number of the estimated 48 million unpaid caregivers in the US. And Black women make up a large share of the caregiving workforce.

We must continue to honor and learn from the struggle of Black people as we fight to correct the systemic injustice that continues to this day.

Caring Across Generations remains committed to centering Black women's legacy with caregiving, and pursuing policy solutions that prioritize equity.

That’s why we’re partnering with actress and caregiver Brandee Evans for our first Twitter Spaces discussion on Tuesday, June 28 at 5 pm Eastern. You may know Brandee as “Mercedes” from P-Valley, but Brandee is also a caregiver for her mother. Join Brandee and my colleagues at Caring Across for a conversation about what it means to be a Black woman caregiver in today’s world.

This will be an important and engaging conversation about the caregiving experience. We hope you can join us.

Set a reminder on Twitter so you’re able to join us on June 28.

With care,

Ifetayo Harvey, Social Media Manager
Caring Across Generations