Juneteenth and Climate Justice

Happy Juneteenth! 

I hope that you found time this weekend (and Monday) to remember and celebrate Juneteenth. Festivals and celebrations of many kinds are taking place all across the U.S., including the Poor People’s Campaign March on Washington. 

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day in 1865 when federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas to announce that all enslaved people were free. Juneteenth celebrates the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. It became a national holiday in 2021. 

In celebration of Juneteenth, let us learn about the intersections of racism, environment, and climate change.  Did you know…

• Black Americans are disproportionately impacted physically and emotionally from environmental problems.
• Black people are more likely to live in communities with poor air quality and to have asthma than white people.
• The water quality in black communities is more likely to be poor and slower to be corrected than in white communities.
• Toxic sites are more likely to be in or near black communities.
• Black Americans suffer more from the rising temperatures due to global warming than white Americans.
• The mental and emotional impacts of the climate crisis are more greatly felt in black communities.

The good news is that organizations like Blessed Tomorrow are raising awareness.  We partner with denominations and other faith and climate organizations for just climate solutions. In celebration of Juneteenth, we offer the below links to Let’s Talk Climate webcasts on the topic of Climate and Environmental Justice. In addition, Blessed Tomorrow is hosting a series of Let’s Talk Climate episodes on Environmental Justice. Subscribe to the Blessed Tomorrow blog to receive notification of the June, July, and August episodes.

Happy Juneteenth!

Let’s Talk Climate Episodes:

Doing Justice: The Faith Path to Climate Equities

The Moral Case for Climate Action

Make Me An Instrument of Peace: Bring People Together to Care for Creation

Energy Justice Is Loving Our Neighbor

Eating Our Way Toward Climate and Racial Justice