Thanks to the bright spotlight on racial injustices, at Water With Blessings we’re coming to a deeper appreciation of Juneteenth as a day to be celebrated. We can only imagine the bittersweet joy of the Galveston Island slaves who were informed on June 19 in 1865, years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that they were free human beings whose fundamental right to liberty had been recognized and defended.
Juneteenth helps us to understand the importance of ensuring that every human person is taught their human rights, so that they can stand upon them for liberation and self-determination. We have a particular solidarity with the cause of eradication of slavery, not only as US citizens, but also through our work in Haiti. Did you know that Haiti holds the distinction of being the only nation to have liberated themselves from slavery?
Juneteenth belongs first and foremost to the descendants of slaves, but its celebration inspires all of us to work for all causes of justice. A critical part of our work with the mothers who receive our filters and Water Woman training is to ensure that they understand clean water as their basic human right, and the filter as a tool for the liberation of their families and neighbors from an unjust lack of access to clean water.
Following our Friday announcement and conversations with our staff, we wanted to share our decision to honor this day with the rest of our WWB community. Moving forward, Juneteenth shall now be a paid holiday for Water With Blessings staff, as a way of highlighting the causes of racial equity, eradication of the evil of slavery, and by extension, all other human rights — including the right to clean water. May we all be inspired by the courageous efforts of those who continue to uphold the cause of racial equity.
More information about what the flag represents can be found: https://www.kmov.com/news/the-juneteenth-flag-is-full-of-symbols-heres-what-they-mean/article_fb3bb689-54fe-52f1-8d60-461d95b1c4b6.html
#juneteenth #nationalfreedomday #blackhistory #racialequality #humanrights #WWB #WaterWithBlessings #humanright
Witten By Erin Breuche(WWB Board Member)