“Juneteenth today, celebrates African American freedom and achievement while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic, and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.” -Juneteenth.com
To our community, customers friends, and neighbors, we say loudly – Black Lives Matter! At this pivotal moment, we add our voice to the myriad of voices calling out for compassionate structural reform, social justice and transformation, so that we may become a culture that supports life rather than takes it.
We believe our expressions of solidarity must be grounded in self-responsibility for the choices we make. We each have a responsibility to listen and learn from one another while acting out of our shared humanity. This individual work is necessary for the collective work required to dismantle white supremacy, racism, inequality, and oppression. We invite you to dig in with us, and deeply consider the wound of racism on the hearts of our black communities. We believe this day requires a deeper engagement with the history and systems of anti-Black oppression.
Collet Watson shares in her article How to Honor Black Liberation on Juneteenth “We cannot celebrate Black freedom without acknowledging the conditions of Black enslavement. We must ground our observance of Juneteenth in an explicitly anti-racist framework, which includes seeking understanding of enslavement, exploitation, family separation, and racial terror in the United States. These conditions did not end in 1865.” Here, she offers poignant suggestions on how to honor this day.
Join us. listen to what our black communities are asking, learn about the Black Lives Movement, and how we can support our fellow African Americans at this moment in time. Read the rules of engagement by Dr. Robin Diangelo. to understand the barriers, fears and deep-seated cultural values that may keep us from moving forward. Learn about White-Fragility and why it may be so hard to talk about race. This article offered us some incredible insights that are hard to look at but resonated with the truth about white culture.
At Bluebird Grain Farms we are committed to learning and growing within our community to further this work. We are also donating to the following organizations to further their good work and leadership in bringing about much-needed changes to our legal system and food /land inequities. We invite you all to donate to these organizations or those of your choice as well.
And please support Black-Owned Businesses in your communities.
Follow the following link for Northwest owned businesses:
The Intentionalist list serve of Black-Owned Businesses
Check out this national listserve of African American owned Farm Businesses and find black-owned farmers in your own area.
Thank you for reading and holding space for this day.