Thursday, July 23, 2020

7.23.20 What Juneteenth Means To Me

What Juneteenth Means To Me

A group of African American Harrisburg Residents Honoring Their 2nd Amendment Right Start Off Juneteenth At The State Capitol Building

Written By Anwar Curtis 

June 19th, 2020 was something of a big deal for melanated people throughout the country. For many of us, this day marked the first of many annual celebrations in light of a newfound understanding and appreciation of the 155th Juneteenth, OUR day of freedom. This year Harrisburg, PA, a place some consider to be a slow-moving city compared to most major cities throughout the country, did not move slow at all. In fact, from sunrise to sunset Harrisburg was filled with brothers and sisters embracing one another to the highest level. We showed that we understood our purpose and expressed the importance of being liberated, despite feeling drowned by all of the desensitized messaging that many news publications continue to display amidst the multitude of the unjust tragedies perpetuated by a corrupt justice system. Even though many Black Americans, both affluent and otherwise, still feel trapped in bondage by the systems and powers that be, we continuously exercise a resilience that not many others have. We used this day to display that we are an ethnic group that is not completely crippled by its past. We not only honored the angels who’d recently received their wings, but we also honored all of our ancestors who came before us and sacrificed everything in them to birth something in us.

 

On Juneteenth 2020, Harrisburg collectively watered the seeds the angels planted for us over the past century. It will be these seeds that show us true purpose and liberation. In my opinion, this purpose is having the ability to own our own businesses, love and protect our families, advocate for our race, create our own safe spaces to educate ourselves on our existence and to designate a time for Black men and women to be vulnerable with each other at no cost. Now, don’t get me wrong, we’ve been doing the work to hold ourselves accountable to patronize Black-owned businesses. But on Juneteenth, I witnessed greater effort within my race. As a journalist who also owns a media publication (Levels Ready Ent), it is my responsibility to document my experience with the world because my story is also our story. We are the only ones that will tell it accurately. So please, take a few moments to enjoy the content that has been chosen from this year’s Juneteenth celebration!



Levels Ready Ent: What does Juneteenth mean to you?


Jon Williams: Protect yourself at all costs!





📷: Levels Ready Ent

Levels Ready Ent: Juneteenth, is celebrating Black freedom. What does Juneteenth mean to you?

Winnie O: Juneteenth is not a moment but a movement for forwarding mobility and we are focusing on Black people!



📷  Levels Ready Ent

Levels Ready Ent: Juneteenth, is all about honoring the Black Queen. What does Juneteenth mean to you?

Shavonnia Corbin - Johnson: It is important to honor and respect where you come from!






📷  Levels Ready Ent

Levels Ready Ent: Juneteenth, is about Black people being resilient. What does Juneteenth mean to you?

Carey Murry: Seeing that people are coming out to support the city. I think we are going to finally push ourselves more out in the front!



📷 Levels Ready Ent


Levels Ready Ent: What does Juneteenth mean to you?


Jonathan Branch: Being Black is not enough. It's what you are doing with your Blackness. It's what you decide to and how you decide to affect every single person you come across, every single day. That's what your Blackness needs to do and that is what needs to keep the conversation going!


📷  Darius Set


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