Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters’ Post

In 2023, over half of U.S. states recognized Juneteenth as an official public holiday. Influenced by this number, efforts to elevate Juneteenth to the status of an official public holiday in New Hampshire are underway. Local activists, community leaders, and legislators recognize the importance of formally acknowledging this critical day in American history. A senate bill sponsored by Senator Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, sought to establish June 19, Juneteenth, as an annual state holiday in New Hampshire, along with other holidays such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Independence Day. NH SB481 was passed by the Senate by voice vote on April 11, 2024. However, it was voted Inexpedient to Legislate in May 2024 and did not move forward. The journey toward making Juneteenth an official holiday in New Hampshire is reflective of the state’s broader struggle for racial justice and equity. As New Hampshire grows more diverse, the recognition of Juneteenth as an official state holiday represents an opportunity for the Granite State to “walk the talk” of its commitments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). If passed, this would be a significant step toward a more inclusive and equitable society, where all voices are heard and celebrated. The New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity fully supports this transition, as it would provide a platform for education, reflection, and celebration, ensuring that the legacy of Juneteenth continues to inspire future generations. Through these efforts, residents of New Hampshire can contribute to a movement that honors the past, acknowledges the present, and looks forward to a future where freedom and equality are truly for all. Despite the lack of official recognition, many local groups have important events planned for Juneteenth. https://lnkd.in/epVJ2ksC

BSR offices in the U.S. will be closed today in observance of Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in America, as Union soldiers marched on Galveston, Texas in 1865. 159 years later, we acknowledge the continued impact of racialized systemic oppression on Black communities throughout the United States and beyond. Whether your company chooses to recognize or observe this holiday, there is an opportunity to approach its commemoration in a way that advances DEI and social justice efforts within your organization. For BSR members, several resources developed by our Equity, Inclusion & Justice (EIJ) team are available in the member portal to help you get started, such as: Allies : Ally, Advocate, and Accomplice: https://lnkd.in/gZnn_95H; and Inclusive Leadership: https://lnkd.in/gXmT9wrm. For all viewers, we're also pleased to share The Social Justice Guide for Business: Moving Beyond Crisis to Action, developed by BSR's Center for Business and Social Justice: https://lnkd.in/d-ZyUKtZ. We welcome you to engage with these resources and/or reach out to our team, ready to partner with you to further your DEI ambitions and programming. Email us at [email protected]. We stand resolute that to achieve sustainability, we must promote equity and justice. #happyjuneteenth, #DEI, #sustainablebusiness

Today, we commemorate Juneteenth, the national holiday marking the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Texas, delivering the news of freedom to Black people two and half years after the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. While we celebrate the final blow to the horrific institution of slavery in 1865, we must acknowledge the continued challenges and barriers many face due to the lack of affordable and reliable access to broadband.  Communication connectivity is crucial! Equity in broadband access is an objective across MCJ’s advocacy campaigns. Equal access is key for all Mississippians, regardless of their race or income, to have the digital education, healthcare, and employment resources necessary for success in today’s world. These are the battles we continue to fight every day. Together, we can honor the legacy of Juneteenth by working towards a more just and equitable future for all. #Juneteenth #MCJ #Justice #Equity

Government welfare programs (wrongly structured), encourage family breakdown and social decay. Puerto Rico has 40-percent of its abled-bodied population (18-54 yrs old) living from welfare, many are third generation. Meaning your grandparents and parents never worked! How’s that for: 👉🏼 self-worth? 👉🏼 a citizen that can possibly vote with sense? 👉🏼 raising children that become contributing & good members of society? 👉🏼 the remaining 60-percent pulling the cart with the freeloaders riding on top?

You think government policy and regulations have little impact on businesses, communities, or cultures. If so, you are misinformed. The introduction of government assistance -- social welfare in the mid-1960s, which mandated no adult male living in the home, led to the complete destruction of the American black culture. The financially incentivized program was the main driver behind the decline of two-parent families from 80 percent in the 1960s to 80 percent fatherless homes today. See 00:45 second hard-hitting video here for full impact (https://lnkd.in/gnYQ2HSp). What is not taught is publics schools and universities is that the collapse of the black family is the root cause of financial, academic, and other social disparities. To foster generational change, we must address this foundational issue rather blame disparities on systemic racism, white privilege, or institutional racism. Until now, there has not been one national initiative to reverse the decline of two-parent families in the black community. Our grassroots movement will begin the transformation. Stay tuned at https://takechargeus.com/.

Happy Juneteenth. As I began to write a message to my community, I received one from a man I greatly respect who spoke better than what I wrote, thank you, Jaime Harrison! "On this day in 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Texas and formally announced the last enslaved people of their freedom, two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. One hundred and fifty-nine years ago, newly freed slaves didn’t know what awaited them outside of slavery, but they knew they now had the opportunity to pursue a better life for themselves, their families and loved ones, and the next generation. Today, we move forward with that same hope our ancestors had as we continue our fight for a more perfect union, but we also acknowledge the work still ahead of us, and the barriers that remain -- many of which our ancestors faced, too. Systemic racism and white supremacy remain all too prevalent in our society and institutions. There is more we can -- and must -- do to protect the right to vote and counter the voter suppression laws that all too often target Black [and Brown] communities. We must keep fighting to expand access to affordable health care, to bring down costs, and to defend our hard-won freedoms from those working to dismantle them. Our work continues." The inviteCHANGE offices are closed today to observe and acknowledge the milestone, so late in coming in 1865, and also an incomplete, yet first step in a journey that continues to be incomplete. Rituals are important and observations of milestone events assist all of us to pause, reflect, remember, and reimagine our choices for how we show up, interact, and make decisions. May you find time today to consider the ways your daily life influences and is influenced by the fact of slavery, past and present, so you may discover a new way forward, one of belonging and not othering (thank you - john a. powell - for you new book and decades of work at the Belonging & Othering Institute at UC Berkeley - https://lnkd.in/gHyH-Jx2) #tensiontotransformation #executivecoaching #teamcoaching

As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, it’s critical to contextualize the iconic campaign's challenges and triumphs. The resources in this article can aid educators, parents and caregivers, and all community members in teaching and discussing the honest history of the 1963 March on Washington. #education, #socialjustice

Sharing this incredible work by my colleagues! A new report from Child Trends explores the ways in which social science research focused on Black families has changed over 10 decades. The authors use the past to develop lessons for the future to advance efforts to create research, policies, and practices that support Black families. https://lnkd.in/eM4pUYP4

It is beyond frustrating to be a Black healthcare leader and continue to experience so many barriers to getting funding to grow just & equitable healthcare spaces for our communities. I've learned that like our ancestors, we cannot sit in complacency but instead leverage the creativity & ingenuity that exist inside of our communities. Our team at Melanin & Medicine developed a guide, "Building & Growing Community Health Equity Programs for Sustainable Impact" to support leaders in nonprofit healthcare organizations as well as social entrepreneurs in healthcare to develop a roadmap of how to initiate or upgrade their community work to not only have massive impact but also secure funding and generate significant return on investment.   The negative consequences of ineffectively implementing community-led health interventions for marginalized populations, who are disproportionately Black and brown, cannot be underestimated. The ramifications include decreased access to healthcare, bias in diagnosis and treatment, ineffective clinical encounters with providers who lack community knowledge and continued racist local & state policies that prevent population-level impact & change.    This is the step-by-step guide that we have employed in our work for over a decade, which has resulted in millions of dollars in funding for community health organizations for work in the US and in low-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.    We hope that this guide can be another tool in our collective journeys to not just start community health equity programs but also to scale them in a way that is profitable, so that they can be sustained. The link to the free guide is in the comments. #healthequity #communityhealth #healthcarefunding #healthcareleaders

ICYMI: Early Learning Nation sits down with lead author, Dr. Chrishana Lloyd to dissect the role of Black families over the span of 100 years. Learn more about the breakthroughs and blind spots shaping public policy. https://lnkd.in/eGhhgAQQ