Joy as resistance: Reclaiming Juneteenth in a time of backlash

By Cicley Gay

Juneteenth, America’s newest federal holiday, was meant to symbolize a national reckoning with history and a celebration of freedom when President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan legislation into law in 2021. Yet, just a few years later, we find Juneteenth events canceled in cities across Indiana, Illinois and Oregon, as backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives intensifies. This is not just an administrative shift, it’s a cultural one. As some seek to erase or diminish Black joy, we must remember that indulging in joy itself has always been an act of resistance.

But Juneteenth also reminds us that freedom in America has never been granted equally. It was delayed for enslaved Black people even after it was declared. Today, for many immigrants, especially Black and brown families, freedom is once again being delayed and denied at borders, in detention centers and through discriminatory policies. The struggle for liberation is ongoing, and it is interconnected.

Juneteenth itself commemorates the moment when freedom finally reached the enslaved in Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. That delay was not just a historical footnote; it was a wound that echoes across generations. Today, asylum seekers and migrants, many of them Black and brown, live in limbo, waiting for freedom. The delay may look different, but the harm is the same.

At Black Lives Matter, we believe that in the face of attempts to silence and suppress, investing in joy is a radical, necessary form of protest. This Juneteenth, we invite all to join us in celebrating and investing in Black and brown joy as a cornerstone of true liberation, while also standing in solidarity with all who are still waiting for freedom to be realized.

The attacks on DEI and the cancellation of Juneteenth events are not isolated incidents; they are part of a larger movement to strip Black communities, and other marginalized groups, of resources and visibility. In this climate, our resistance must evolve. Our response cannot be limited to protest alone. It must also include reclaiming the right to thrive, to play and to experience joy.

From the earliest Juneteenth celebrations to today’s block parties and art festivals, play and happiness have been tools for survival and defiance. For Black and brown communities, joy has always been revolutionary. BLM was founded in 2013 in response to unspeakable tragedies, ones where ruthless oppression, abuse of power and brutalities flooded our social media timelines following the murder of innocent young men like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Yet even in mourning, our communities found ways to laugh, dance and dream together. The movement’s global resonance is rooted in this duality, the courage to confront injustice and the audacity to celebrate life.

Juneteenth also invites us to ask, who in America is still fighting for our freedom? Black and brown immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers face family separation, lack of running water, lack of due process, unsanitary conditions and more. Undeniably, the same forces that once delayed emancipation — white supremacy and profit-driven policy — now shape immigration enforcement and send troops when we have the audacity to rise up in cities like Los Angeles.

True freedom is not just the absence of harm; it is the presence of opportunity, creativity and fulfillment. BLM is evolving to meet the needs of our most vulnerable, investing in programs that provide access to art, wellness and community spaces. We will continue to advocate for divestment from police, prisons and punishment paradigms while also pushing for investment into justice, joy and culture.

More recently, we’ve invested in youth sports programs in local communities and abroad, from Brooklyn, New York, to Ghana, to ensure we are building from the inside out and advocating for the most vulnerable. We are guided by the wisdom of our ancestors, who, even in the darkest times, found ways to nurture hope and rebuild.

This Juneteenth, let us do more than remember the past. Let us build the future. Migration is a declaration of hope. Just as Black Americans fled the South during the Great Migration seeking dignity, safety and opportunity, today’s immigrants are doing the same. We call on local leaders, philanthropists and allies to invest in Black communities and to stand in solidarity with all who are still fighting for freedom. The right to give, to gather and to celebrate are as vital as any policy change.

Let this Juneteenth serve as a vision for what America can become. In the face of those who would turn back the clock, we choose to move forward, fueled by the power of joy as resistance. This year, and every year, let us honor Juneteenth with bold action and the unwavering belief that freedom includes the right for everyone to play, to dream, to live fully.

Will you join us in shaping the future on our own terms, until all are free?

Cicley Gay is board chairwoman of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.

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