Hello everybody!

In case you were not aware, today marks a crucial moment in history, and we’d like to share a bit more about that with you all. Today (June 19th) is Juneteenth, which recognizes an incredibly significant day for the black community and celebrates the end of slavery. Ahead of Juneteenth, President Biden announced a Juneteenth concert, which you can read about HERE. In addition to this, more celebrations are occurring as announced by the Biden-Harris Administration; you can read all about them HERE.

To get us started, we’d like to remind you all that there is a Juneteenth badge available for use on Everskies. This badge is permanent in commemoration of Juneteenth, and can always be accessed for awareness and recognition of this day.

In addition to the badge that is available, we are hoping to commission users and creators for Juneteenth items to be created on Everskies. If you are interested in helping make a vibrant and beautiful Juneteenth collection become available on-site, please reach out to CreatorSupport through the creator studio or contact support.everskies.com.

Today only in honor of Juneteenth, our Everskies Team will be giving out some Stardust and goodies as a part of this celebration. If you are black, please share your experiences, happiness, and stories with us in the comments below for a chance to receive a small gift.

What is Juneteenth?
If you have never heard of Juneteenth or weren’t around for last year’s article, we will share more information about Juneteenth with you. Juneteenth is a federally recognized holiday primarily celebrated by the black community in the United States, which marks the end of slavery. Despite slavery ending, sadly many individuals were forced to work for their masters for up to six years or more after they were granted freedom. This is part of why it’s so important to recognize Juneteenth and the events that conspired.

January 1st of 1863 was considered Freedom’s Eve; a night where many black individuals gathered in churches and private places, and eagerly awaited news of an emancipation proclamation that was in the works. At midnight, the declaration became effective, and those who were enslaved became legally declared as free. With the news came celebrations of freedom, culture, and recognition of the struggles that were faced in the process of fighting to attain freedom.
Despite Abraham Lincoln giving news of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, nearly two and a half years later in 1865, individuals were still fighting for their freedom in Galveston, Texas. News of freedom was not delivered to Galveston until General Gordon Granger set foot on Texas soil, declaring General Orders no.3: “The individuals of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Despite slavery’s end in Texas, slavery’s end in America technically was only imposed once the Thirteenth Amendment was passed.

In the early 1900s, Juneteenth became less celebrated due to extreme instances of discrimination, violence, hate speech, oppression, and other struggles that became especially present in the 20th century; as hate groups reemerged to commit hate crimes. However, after the Civil Rights movement, Juneteenth became present yet again. Despite the efforts that have been made, Juneteenth still tends to be overlooked in America by individuals who are not black.

Juneteenth is a holiday of triumph where Black communities can remember their fight towards equality and freedom, celebrate their culture, look back on the lives that were lost and the hardships that were experienced, and paint a picture of new beginnings while remembering the occurrences of the past. Juneteenth is often celebrated now with food, community, art, memorials, and songs. Many celebrations today are hosted at Emancipation Park; a park that was bought in 1872 by two Black church congregations. Emancipation Park was built especially for Juneteenth celebrations, and has had 33.6 million dollars’ worth of renovations contributed ever since.

Today, it’s important to recognize Juneteenth more than ever before. Despite the efforts that have been made and the awareness that has been spread, Juneteenth is often still overlooked and underrepresented in American society and history during the 20th century. There are even still instances of discrimination, hate speech, and hateful behaviors occurring on a regular basis despite all the progress that has been made. It’s important that we continue to push for progress, now and for the future, and to ensure that equality is something more than just a dream.
Together, we can pave the path for a brighter outlook and make sure that our society is one where justice, compassion, and respect are all present.

If you are non-black, here are some ways that you can respectfully join in on Juneteenth celebrations:

-Learn about Juneteenth’s history, black history, and recognize the importance of the past events that occurred.
-Listen to music produced by Black individuals; as June also marks Black Music Month.
-Listen and discuss racism, police violence, hate crimes, and other similar topics with Black individuals. These conversations may be uncomfortable, but they are also productive.
-Spend time appreciating Juneteenth celebrations, and practice appreciation towards Black culture.
-Be an ally; learn from black voices, engage in meaningful conversations with Black individuals to learn more about Black history, listen, and empower the voices of those individuals
-On Everskies, give your fellow Black users a little note of positivity in the comments, a tip, or a gift if you are able to.

To our Black users, we would like to wish you all an incredibly Happy Juneteenth. Your voices are heard, your experiences are respected, and you are seen. In the comments, we would like to invite you all to share your experiences, celebrations, struggles, important knowledge about Juneteenth, and the meaning of Juneteenth to you as individuals. Please share anything you’d like others to know more about, and feel free to discuss what makes Juneteenth meaningful and personal to you.
To our non-black users; please listen in on these experiences, appreciate the knowledge shared, learn more about Juneteenth and Black history, and share some positivity towards Black users and the experiences discussed.

Thank you for learning more, for celebrating Juneteenth with us, and for helping us push for equality! Happy Juneteenth!

-The Everskies Team

Sources:

Broadwater, Luke. “House Passes Bill to Make Juneteenth a Federal Holiday, Sending It to Biden.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 June 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/06/16/us/politics/juneteenth-federal-holiday.html.
Cabrera-Marquez, Leah. “Juneteenth (Article) | Reconstruction.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/civil-war-era/reconstruction/a/juneteenth.
Dishman, Lydia. “How Companies and Individuals Can Use Juneteenth to Practice Active Allyship.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 16 June 2020, www.fastcompany.com/90517460/how-companies-and-individuals-can-use-juneteenth-to-practice-active-allyship.
Hillman, Michelle. “10 Things We Want White People to Do to Celebrate Juneteenth.” Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, 9 Sept. 2020, www.waysideyouth.org/2020/06/18/10-things-we-want-white-people-to-do-to-celebrate-juneteenth/.
Kaur, Harmeet. “What to Know about Juneteenth and Why People Are Talking about It Now.” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 June 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/us/what-is-juneteenth-trnd/index.html.
Nix, Elizabeth. “What Is Juneteenth?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 19 June 2015, www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth.