Thread by @Deoliver47

Folks. Stop the crabs in a barrel crap. Celebrate winning a victory - Juneteenth as a National holiday, and then organize and strategize on how we use this to educate. Far too many of our children don't know history - and how it has shaped systemic racism today.

Obviously, having a holiday ain't gonna fix the deep problems we face - you know what they are so I am not gonna enumerate them here. The holiday is an educational tool - use it. Don't forget to thank grassroots folk who have been pushing for this. Celebrate Mrs. Opal Lee.

There are lots of people who joined this fight for Juneteenth - a quick google brings up links. For example #BLM Black Lives Matter -petition June 17, 2020
blacklivesmatter.com/make-juneteent…

“My name is Opal Lee and I am 93 years young from Fort Worth, Texas. In 2016 I began a campaign to walk to Washington, DC in an effort to name Juneteenth a national holiday" campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/tell…

“It is not lost on me that the summer of 2020 saw the largest support of Juneteenth to be a national holiday because of the death of George Floyd highlighted the systemic racism that still exists because of the residual effects of slavery.” Opal Lee
change.org/p/united-state…

It’s Time to Make Juneteenth a National Holiday
"Marking the end of slavery with a federal holiday would be more than a symbolic gesture. It would provide space for growth as a nation."
By Rep. Jamaal Bowman
thenation.com/article/societ…

Make Juneteenth a national holiday now
Opinion by Peniel Joseph @PenielJoseph
cnn.com/2020/06/13/opi…

This is some of the absolute bullshit kids are getting taught in schools.

https://twitter.com/jbenton/status/1404245820103348227

I have extended family members who were enslaved in Galveston. My folk raised me to know the names and stories of my enslaved ancestors who fought back and survived. If we allow the edu. system to erase enslavement - one of the foundational sins of this nation, we are complicit.

Take this new holiday - celebrate, but more importantly - educate and organize. There are states now banning teaching our history. Use Juneteenth to fight back.