Black Joy Juneteenth 2020
JUNE 19, 2020
Make the Pledge
Make the pledge to buy Black, give Black, and defend Black this Juneteenth weekend: bit.ly/wepjuneteenth! When you sign the pledge, we will follow-up with the link to a resource-hub of local Black-led organizations to donate to, Black-owned businesses to buy from (via www.fortheculturestl.com), and local and national actions and celebrations in honor of Juneteenth.
This year, as we witness and experience the systemic violence inflicted on Black folks, we are reminded that Black folks are still fighting for our freedom. Part of fighting for our freedom is investing in our future by buying from Black-owned businesses, giving to Black-led organizations building power, and defending Black lives.
Over 72 hours, this Friday, June 19th-Sunday, June 21st. Let's flood our resources towards Black freedom in honor of Juneteenth!
About Juneteenth
“Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, has been celebrated by African-Americans since the late 1800s.”
Learn more!
Juneteenth 2020 Resource Hub
Buy Black
For the Culture STL is intended to connect black people with black-owned businesses and events around the city. Whether it's the entertainment industry, a family owned restaurant, a black-owned dentist, or a local clothing company, For the Culture STL is here to connect the people to you and you to the people.
WEPOWER Accelerator Companies | WEPOWER’s cohort of Black Businesses
Eemerg allows users to pick the nearest available roadside assistance service provider with a budget in mind. The Eemerge platform connects users directly with those who are available and qualified to assist the user in real time.
Shine In All Shades Adult Coloring Book Series + workshops addresses self care & the issue of colorism via hand drawn illustrations paired with positive affirmations - which help cultivate safe & fun spaces for our communities to shine unapologetically!
Apiary @ The Park is a cultural Co-working space for creative entrepreneurs, freelancers, as well as new and established small businesses.
Heru transforms food desert areas into healthy and sustainable environments by acquiring and revitalizing land to provide quality organic foods and herbal goods and donates some produce to elderly and single parents.
Books N Bros is a youth-led book club for boys, which is a subscription-based program to advocate for African American literacy.
Pure Vibes provides hemp powered healthy alternatives for traditional feminine hygiene by addressing the need for managing mood, menstrual care, pain management, and mental health.
Original Family Smoke House is a Plant-Based food company that provides 100% vegan comfort classic meals.
Butter Love provides all natural skin care products that help to heal, soothe and moisturize the masses.
Give Black
Action St. Louis was founded by activists politicized after the killing of Michael Brown and the Ferguson Uprising. We fight to build power for Black people in St. Louis.
ArchCity Defenders (ACD) is a holistic legal advocacy organization that combats the criminalization of poverty and state violence, especially in communities of color. ACD’s foundation of civil and criminal legal representation, social services, impact litigation, policy and media advocacy, and community collaboration achieves and inspires justice and equitable outcomes for people throughout the St. Louis region and beyond.
A Red Circle exists to foster meaningful relationships within North County St. Louis for the betterment of the community as a whole.
Dream Builders believes that equitable opportunities are foundational for youth to realize their fullest potential. We envision a world where all communities have the courage to dream, the skills to build, and the resources to own our future. Our mission is to advance disadvantaged youth through personal and professional development, working alongside them to rehabilitate vacant properties, creating affordable homes and thriving communities. Additionally, we provide at-risk youth with access to a diverse and broad set of assets through mentorship, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and leadership training.
Embracing the Ferguson Commission’s mandate, Forward Through Ferguson centers impacted communities and mobilizes accountable bodies to advance racially equitable systems and policies that ensure all people in the St. Louis region can thrive. FTF’s focus is to serve as conscience and catalyst in leading our region on a path toward Racial Equity—a St. Louis where outcomes are no longer predictable by race.
Strengthening neighborhoods and reducing inequity in St. Louis by creating a system for investing in community development and revitalization. Invest STL seeks to shift the region’s approach to neighborhood development towards one that centers racial equity and amplifies the desires, power and agency of people within neighborhoods that have experienced decades of systemic disinvestment.
Faith for Justice is a coalition of Christian activists pursuing the biblical call to action in the public sphere.
We activate community power through providing spaces for everyday people to heal from the trauma of systemic racism, while reimagining, redesigning, and organizing towards the transformation of education, economic, health, and justice systems to support Black and Latinx liberation. We build infrastructure for community-level wealth building through scaling community-beneficial businesses, creating pathways towards living wage jobs, and catalyzing community-owned capital.
This Sunday, June 21, 2020, Bakers for Black Lives is hosting a food-forward jubilee and fundraiser to unite and mobilize the St. Louis community around racial justice work. Vicia and Cortex in midtown have graciously offered to host.
100% of proceeds will go to Black social justice organizations in St. Louis (we are in touch with a few and this will be announced in the coming days!).
Defend Black
THIS IS OUR MOMENT
I can’t sleep these days.
There’s so much to process at this moment. The violent history that has brought us here. The possibilities that await us. The news headlines that flood my phone, television screen, and every Zoom meeting of every day. It’s hard not to stay awake.
Still, I am energized. I am hopeful.
And my deepest hope is that the rest of the country — the rest of you — can’t sleep these days either.
What’s happening in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York and so many other cities is the power of collective action. People all over this country and across the world are declaring that Black Lives Matter. Our communities are uniting to fight for change, with clear action and demands on the systems that hurt so many of us. Protests, organizing, and activism is an outlet that allows us to be hopeful.
The rebellions and reimaginations happening all over the country are challenging systems to restructure in support of Black lives and Black futures.
We are not wrong to believe that our country is on the cusp of real, everlasting change, beyond the usual platitudes and promises. We are not wrong to stay awake together, rewriting our history, reimagining a safer and more dignified life for all Black people.
Now more than ever, I believe St. Louis, too, will harness this powerful moment.
Right here in St. Louis, we will reconcile with our past. We will dare to rewrite the story of this region.
This is no time to play small, St. Louis. This moment demands that we fight for our right to be safe and live free.
It’s time to take a closer look at our own police department. It’s time to invest in our children, to Close the Workhouse and put our resources towards North St. Louis City. To put our energy and resources towards improving our early childhood education system, K-12 education system and how it is financed across the region, to create real living-wage jobs.
We can do this. We have to. All of our children deserve us waking up to the inequities and possibilities right here in St. Louis.
Tomorrow is Juneteenth, an annual holiday that celebrates the end of slavery. Now, 155 years later, people across the U.S. continue to fight for freedom.
In honor of Juneteenth, in honor of this moment, this movement. Make the pledge to Give Black, Buy Black, and Defend Black lives over the next 72 hours: bit.ly/wepjuneteenth.
Once you sign the pledge, we will follow up tomorrow with a link to a resource hub of St. Louis-based Black-owned businesses to buy from, Black-led organizations to donate to, and local actions to join in defense of Black lives.
In power, with love, and filled with hope,
Charli
Friday June 19th | 5pm-8pm
DJ Agile One
Makeda Kravitz
