Juneteenth: Five FREE Posts that Salute Blackness
Freedom. Joy. Gratitude. Read these five posts to unlock the keys to Black empowerment on a day honoring Black freedom.
Written and Edited: Friday, June 19, 2026
Note: No AI assistance has been used in the writing of this post.
I feel amazing today. I took a great nap. I ate tasty food. I’m lying under the air conditioner. And I’m celebrating the ingenuity and fortitude of my ancestors and history. I am grateful for my freedom; the ability to choose, think, and fend for myself.
There is nothing like the taste and feel of freedom. Never before have I felt more connected to the past as I do now. Perhaps, I took my independence for granted for far too long: I’ve walked and talked with my chocolate skin with golden and peachy undertones — knowing that my Blackness is a threat to many. For the last two years, I can actually feel it. I worry about my freedom and that of other Black people. The United States continues to barrage us with laws and policies to destroy our achievements by eliminating our right to vote, live, and maintain health.
Sadly, women, children, and Hispanic Americans are also targets of the turning tide of a country that is trying on yet another version of its discriminatory self to assuage fears the extinction of insecure white, straight (maybe-ish), and and wealthy men.
Today, though, I don’t want to give much air to the Bullshit States of America. Despite increasing political and social limitations, I am still going to make my dreams come true. I invite you — new and existing subscribers — to read posts that evoke the resilience of Blackness and freedom. I’ve included preview quotes from posts that I know will inspire and educate you. From financial advice to social organizing, there’s something for everyone.
Mental Health: I Won’t Let Being Non-Confrontional K*ill Me
“We assume that confrontations must always be some big blow-up in a science lab. Disagreements can actually create a path to deeper understanding and intimacy that each of us yearn for in our relationships. We learn from the most diverse perspectives. The most profound goal of the confrontation is to take the puzzle pieces of confusion to recreate an image at the risk of sinking into frustration and discord. The completed puzzle isn’t the prize: it is the strength in staying until the very end to note the beauty in your endurance. Similarly, the confrontation rewards your approach to the issues that bother you. Within differences, you gain clarity in someone else’s view — even if you don’t agree. The final piece of the puzzle holds the passport of the pertinent information you now have about yourself.”
Rest is Health: Let the Long Covid Nap Happen
“Once I became clear that rest was nourishment, not a punishment, I began to sink into those naps like a newborn without a care in the world. I didn’t care what anyone else said or thought. If I scheduled my nap at a certain time, I would end or pause every call, visit, or project to meet the commitment I set for myself.
I never sought perfection from Long Covid Naps. I wasn’t expecting to awake free of Long Covid symptoms. I didn’t have to always have the right temperature, music, or feeling to rest. I just had to obey the exhaustion my body and mind presented.”
…Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later.
Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as “Juneteenth,” by the newly freed people in Texas.
National Museum of African American Culture and Heritage
The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
Resistance: Put Up or Shut Up!
If you’re going to celebrate Black History Month, be about that life!
If you’re not afraid to stand up against government and the establishment riddled in silence, ambiguity, and acquiescence, be about that life!
If you truly care about the exculpation of anti-Blackness in this nation, be about that life!
If you’re still standing on the sidelines, wondering who you will offend, hurt, or protect, stay in the house, close your shades, and return to your regularly scheduled program. Be about that life, too!
The Black Dollar: Black and Disabled? Your Disability Income Can Make You Wealthy.
“Black disabled folks: anything is possible. Don’t forget that. Ableism teaches us that only a portion of us can be wealthy — especially those with able bodies. Remember some of the greatest inventions were created by Black disabled folks. And Black people provide ingenuity in culture and business. We are living in unprecedented times but anything is possible. Leave behind anyone who isn’t encouraging you to reach your money goals and potential after your share them — even if it’s other Black people, friends, or your financial advisor. I’m here if you need me.”
Community: Don’t Mind Your Business
“It’s time that we broke the fourth wall by minding someone else’s business. Rules of independence and exclusion–created by society and smartphones–only survive if humans continue to enforce them for comfort and convenience. The separation during the height of Covid-19 pandemic was necessary but at any time, we can start snooping on people in a healthy way again. We can put our phones down to (re)learn the precious art of being concerned. Doing it alone has been out of style for years and loneliness is no longer cool. As a matter of fact, it’s killing us.”
Education is FREEDOM:
Click on the QR code in the photo above to support non-profit organization, Mbadika. Located in Boston, this organization specializes in advancing students’ natural ability to create via STEM learning. Mbadika is run by Netia McCray, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate and health advocate. McCray is one of the smartest women I know. Her brain operates like a computer. Recently, she took her students to the Museum of Science. Take a look. This Juneteenth, let’s donate to Mbadika so it can continue to spark the curiosity of our children who love science and technology.
Happy Juneteenth,
Chimére but you can call me “Chimmy!”