Happy Juneteenth and Father’s Day weekend! The recognition of Juneteenth as a Federal holiday is very exciting and feels like a tangible change spurred by George Floyd’s murder. At the same time, Trevor Noah comically pointed out the ironic part about the creation of this holiday: there are 15 states that still outlaw teaching critical race theory in school. As Trevor puts it, “You can have the day off but you can’t know why” #progressisslow
There are a couple podcasts that have me totally fan-girling over here! They include a cross-over of people I love. The first is a new series on Pushkin called Be AntiRacist with Ibram X. Kendi. Malcolm + Ibram = <3 <3 <3 Here’s the Juneteenth episode: Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi: The Juneteenth Mixtape on Apple Podcasts
Side note – I think my youngest kid looks just like Malcolm Gladwell… Evidence:
The second episode that I am currently obsessed with is Race at Work with Porter Braswell featuring Stephen Satterfield (the host of High on the Hog)! High on the Hog’s Stephen Satterfield: The Power of Black Storytelling (hbr.org) The emotional conversation between these guys is beautiful and really highlights the impact of the docuseries. I hope the wildly positive reviews about High on the Hog will lead to more funding of similar projects.
Lastly, the Equal Justice Initiative has excellent web content around Juneteenth – check it out here and consider donating to EJI: On Jun 19, 1865: Juneteenth (eji.org)
Be well,
Jessica
#blacklivesmatter #powertoprivilege #courageousconversations