Happy Juneteenth! With many traditional Juneteenth events canceled (or at least altered) this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we thought we’d share several ways to celebrate this special day by supporting Black female artists.
DRESS UP YOUR WALLS
Spending more time at home these days? Consider sprucing up the walls of your home. The Zoe Report posted an an article introducing eight Black contemporary visual artists to help you start your collection.
JOIN A PATREON TEAM
One of my favorite online Black mentors is Dr. Christena Cleveland. She posted a beautiful essay yesterday called “Juneteenth Is A Spirituality.” You can only read it if you become one of her Patreon supporters, so join her team now. This latest essay alone is worth the price of admission.
BUY SOME BOOKS
The internet is swimming with lists of recommended books by Black authors, including many of the titles on our own Race + Justice Recommended Books list on GoodReads. Two of our faves are Too Heavy A Yoke and I Bring The Voices of My People by Dr. Chenequa Walker-Barnes. Buy some books for yourself or—better yet—buy a bunch of books and donate them to your local library. Bonus points if you buy them from a local Black-owned bookstore like Black Pearl Books here in Austin.
WATCH A MOVIE
Today marks the release of the documentary (In)visible Portraits, the feature film directorial debut of Oge Egbuonu. The film, described by actress Halle Berry as “a beautifully crafted documentary capturing the strength, beauty, resilience and love embodied in Black women,” is available for rent or purchase on Vimeo. (Wider release on other platforms to follow later this year.)
Want some more ideas? Check out the article 26 Organizations You Can Donate to That Support Emerging Black Artists, Thinkers, and Change-Makers. Or do some online window shopping at 27 Black-Owned Etsy Shops To Support. Or update your playlists with 8 Emerging Female R&B Artists To Keep An Eye On In 2020.
Feel free to share your favorite Black female artist(s) in the comments!
One last thing you can do today? Sign the petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday.