Reflections on Freedom
As I reflected on the appropriate message to kick off the month of June, I circled back again and again to the concept of "FREEDOM" from our mission statement, which is shared above.
June strikes me as such a beautiful time to celebrate freedom, with its long, warm days of sunshine and leisure, and the joyful sounds of children (finally!) released from school.
In the Black community we also celebrate Juneteenth, which commemorates June 19, 1865, the day when Union soldiers arrived in Texas to read the Emancipation Proclamation, notifying the state that slaves had been freed. Texas was the last of the Confederate states to officially receive the news -- a full two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln established the Emancipation Proclamation and its promise for liberation.
We can only imagine how that news must have landed for our ancestors. But I like to imagine their faces lit with the gentle promise of June's sun on their faces as they contemplated a future in which they -- and now we -- were finally considered human.
However. As social justice warriors, we cannot ignore the striking parallels of that slow pace to share the news of our freedom 159 years ago, and our continued slow pace to progress civil rights for all. But I am deeply grateful for your friendship and willingness to join with us as a rainbow of humanity who wishes to see America be as good as its people.
The Juneteenth holiday, as wonderful as it is, only goes so far to remind us of how we've struggled with the issue of race throughout the centuries.
If you are reading this message, you are part of a broader coalition of folks who have joined our efforts through the YWCA Elyria and Lorain County Racial Equity Center who are not only looking at the issue of race in America but also looking at how we devote ourselves to and talk about issues of race, equity and inclusivity. Below, you will learn about some of the activities and programs which are helping us to fulfill our mission, and to remind those we serve that they are not alone, and that they are worth fighting for.
Your partnership makes this possible.
Jeanine Donaldson, Executive Director
YWCA Elyria and the Lorain County Racial Equity Center
