We celebrate Juneteenth! This is incredibly important to celebrate as it marks the ending of slavery in the US. It was on June 19, 1865, that soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas advising that the Civil War had ended and all who were enslaved finally had freedom.

Last year I didn’t know what this day was until I saw it on social media. It was then I saw how much work I needed to learn. Thus I committed myself in 2020 to learn more about the true history of BIPOC, not what was taught in my textbooks in 9th grade. I am a biracial woman (Caucasian and Latina) and I see how far we need to go! We need to fight harder for equal rights, have uncomfortable conversations, and look inwardly at discovering and undoing biases.

How can we move forward on this day and every day to make a change:

Educate yourself, don’t expect or lean on BIPOC to be responsible to teach you what you need to do or what books to read.

Buy from black-owned businesses.

Celebrate freedom.

Use your voice to spread love.

Use your voice to help others create change in the communities.