A commitment for today and all days.

Today is Juneteenth. Juneteenth commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. It is celebrated on this day, because June 19, 1865 was the day that General Granger arrived in Galveston, TX and made the proclamation “…all slaves are free.” Despite the Emancipation Proclamation being signed over two years earlier, slaves in that part of the country had not received the news and continued to toil in bondage. We share this, because acknowledging the TRUTH about our history is how we can make sure that we do better than those before us.

TRUTH is our June theme for Women Belong. Our TRUTH? We all can do better than those before us. We can start by listening and learning. We can follow that by practicing new patterns of thinking and behavior to bring about meaningful change. We can do this with compassion for ourselves and others, because change is hard. We can do this, while also being accountable when we mess up and committing ourselves to trying again and doing things differently next time.

True change takes effort and practice. The failures that we experience when we practice often bring us anger, frustration and hurt. We also see the possibility of joy, freedom, creativity and growth that will come with change. We encourage you to allow yourself freedom to experience all of those as you grow and move toward change. “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.” – Emma Lazarus

The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Tony McDade, and so many others are painful reminders of the change that we need to make and how African-Americans continue to suffer injustice in this country. Join us and embrace our truths, continue listening and learning, and pushing for growth and change. And, remember this TRUTH:  “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” ― audre lorde

Women Belong is dedicated to supporting the personal and professional success of all women. Let us all assess and make sure that we each do all that we can to support the freedom of all women.

Here’s how You Can Help Today and Every Day

Listen & Watch
Have a growth mindset when confronted using it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Be open to feedback.

• True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality (available on HBO Netflix, Amazon Prime & hulu)
• Blackish: Juneteenth episode (season 4, episode 1; available on abc.com & hulu)
• Conversation about White Fragility with Robin DiAngelo presented by Family Action Network

Learn
Educate yourself about unfamiliar narratives of American history and culture.

• Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram X. Kendi
• Waking Up White, Debby Irving
• Whistling Vivaldi, Claude Steele
• Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement, Kendall Thomas, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Garry Peller, Neil Gotanda

Practice

• Shop at and collaborate with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) businesses (How to Find Them)
• Contribute to BIPOC run organizations (Assata’s Daughters, Chicago Freedom School, My Block My Hood My City)
• Raise the percentage of vendors you use that are BIPOC businesses
• Ask for referrals to BIPOC businesses
• Teach your children (Let’s Talk About Race, Julius Lester; Something Happened in Our Town, Ann Hazzard, Marianne Celano, and Marietta Collins; The Colors of Us, Karen Katz; Separate Is Never Equal, Duncan Tonatiuh)

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