REINVESTING IN OURSELVES, WHEN NO ONE ELSE WILL

Odds are, you know someone who learned about Juneteenth for the first time in their life this year. Maybe it was yourself. Maybe this video is the first time you’ve heard someone explain it to you. Black history is being uncovered everyday and American history as we know it is constantly being re-written. Social Studies textbooks don’t talk about Juneteenth, don’t admit that the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect for nearly two years before all enslaved Africans captured to America were free (they also don’t expose the fact that Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a genuine abolitionist, he only signed the Emancipation Proclamation so he could win the war — but that’s tea for a different day). Because why would they? The same books — teachers, institutions, leaders — tell us that July 4th is Independence Day when Black folks were not and still aren’t free.

This Juneteenth, you’ll find some institutions officially proclaiming it as a holiday, other corporations sending out a cute inspirational email about community and diversity in the workplace while investing in prison and child labor, but mostly, you’ll find Black folks being Black folks — mourning, teaching, loving.

There is truly no time like the present to learn and unlearn: unlearn the practice of prioritizing convenience over ethics, and learn how to tactfully spend your money on people, small-business owners, and friendly franchises. 

Don’t know where or how to start buying Black? Don’t worry, this video’s got you.