Tweet

Denise Oliver-Velez 💛

16 Jun, 10 tweets, 3 min read

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…

@PenielJoseph

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

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

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.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @Deoliver47

Denise Oliver-Velez 💛

@Deoliver47

20 Nov 19

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1196573088214867968

'Yo dog' - the continuing resolution funds Medicaid for 900,000 people in Puerto Rico - many who will die without medication. Do progressive posturing some other time. You voted 'no' (thankfully few people joined you)

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1196573088214867968

No one on the left likes the g-damn Patriot Act. I survived COIN-telpro, many of my comrades did not. However, let's talk priorities - health care for close to a million people in PR and USVI and funding for children's food trumps showboat "no" votes in my book.

So you joined "the overwhelming majority of Republicans voted against the continuing resolution" which sends a real message to those of us who are trying desperately to save lives. This ain't a game. Conditions on the islands for those who depend on Medicaid are dire.

Read 5 tweets

Denise Oliver-Velez 💛

@Deoliver47

28 Jul 19

Speaking as a black person, these are the hashtags and protests I'd like to see: #WhitePeopleAgainstWhiteSupremacy #WhitePeopleAgainstRacism
Black folks didn't make this problem, and we can't fix it.

I'd also like to see the damn media interview #WhitePeopleWhoLoatheTrumpsRacism Sick of all the 'economic anxiety' bullshit stories which enables, encourages, and covers up for bigots.