Pride
The month of June is filled with days that are important in the fight for racial equity and justice. Two of the days are Juneteenth and the Stonewall Riots that are celebrated during Pride month. I wanted to take this blog post to discuss the importance of both of these events to the current BLM movements in America.
Juneteenth
You may already know what Juneteenth is or celebrated it last Friday (I hope). Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th and commemorates the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. It is held on June 19th due to the last group of enslaved persons that learned of their freedom in Galveston, Texas on June 19th, 1865.
Here are some ways that people commemorated the holiday:
Joined a protest. There were several held throughout the day and weekend.
Supported black-owned businesses and restaurants.
Read up on the significance of Juneteenth, BLM and more.
Juneteenth was an important day to understand what it means to be Black in America. What are the struggles and trauma that Black people have experienced? How can solutions like defunding the police or investing in communities uplift our Black brothers and sisters?
I’m still learning and don’t have all the answers, but these questions have guided my learning and dialogue.
Stonewall Riots
June is Pride Month due to the Stonewall Protests/Riots which started the conversation on LGBTQ+ rights in America. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in Greenwich Village in New York City. It was raided by the police on June 28th, 1969 by the police and arrested 13 people. The riots erupted in opposition to this raid and the arrests. What many people (including me) don’t understand about the Stonewall Riots are the importance of Black trans lives in starting and shaping these events.
Many LGBT activists credit Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans activist, as the person who threw the first brick or shot glass that sparked the riots in 1969. This contribution points to the importance of Black transgender activists in our history, yet they currently have an average income of $10,000 and an average life expectancy of 35.
Many protests and marches for Black trans lives have occurred over the past few weeks as well. In understanding the present and past, it is important to understand how the intersectionality of identities (or how identities) affects experiences, oppression and lives. A Black woman faces different struggles than that of a Black man and a Black Trans Woman faces different struggles compared to both of these groups. Think about how identities intersect within your life and how that affects privilege, power and oppression.
My takeaway from this history lesson is that it is important to understand the history and struggles of our ancestors that have shaped our modern society and the rights we have. So when we can (eventually) march in Pride celebrations, give thanks to the Black trans activists who helped us have it.
by Kartik Ramkumar (IG @kartikramkumar)