Purpose Built Communities’ Post

Today, we at World Business Chicago honor Juneteenth National Independence Day - commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. On this day in 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Texas, formally announcing freedom to the last enslaved people, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. One hundred and fifty-nine years ago, newly freed individuals faced an uncertain future, yet embraced the chance to pursue better lives for themselves, their families, and future generations. Today, we carry forward that same hope as we strive for a more just and equitable society, acknowledging the persistent challenges ahead. Systemic racism and white supremacy remain deeply rooted in our institutions, and we must continue to protect voting rights and counter laws that disproportionately affect Black communities. Additionally, we must advocate for expanded access to affordable health care and defend our hard-won freedoms against those seeking to undermine them. #Juneteenth #CelebrateFreedom

On June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the United States, Union Soldiers arrived in Galveston Texas to free more than 250,000 Americans who were still enslaved. #Juneteenth celebrates this day, marking our country's second independence day when all Americans were granted freedom from enslavement. Though Black Americans gained their basic right to freedom on this day, institutional racism still impacts the lives of Black Americans. Urban planning decisions such as redlining, interstate development, and the siting of polluting industries, still overwhelmingly impact lower income and predominantly Black communities. These past decisions decrease health, opportunity, and the freedoms to life, liberty, justice and equality we hold to be self-evident. There is still much to do to eliminate #environmentalracism in America. We believe that everyone deserves clean and safe places to live, work, and play. Through the assessment and cleanup of brownfields, we help transform sites that once perpetuated environmental injustice into spaces that benefit communities. CCLR is committed to continuing the fight for racial justice and equity in the communities we support.

OUR COMMON PURPOSE: REINVENTING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY https://lnkd.in/gqCRFKrP Throughout our country’s history, the American people have confronted moments of crisis with resilience and an openness to reinvention, enabling our nation to become a better version of itself. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the members of this Commission recognized that we found ourselves at a similar crossroads. The recommendations in this report touch all sectors of American life and offer a bold path that will require all of us to commit to reinventing aspects of our constitutional democracy. The realities of a disruptive media and information environment, outdated political institutions, economic and social inequality, and hyperpartisan political leadership have laid bare the urgency of this imperative. The Commission challenges us to achieve significant progress toward its recommendations by 2026, our nation’s 250th anniversary. 

Political power, support for violence, and anti-Blackness have a long and well-documented correlative history in this country. Despite not being the largest or fastest growing minority group in this country, fear of Black people gaining more power is paramount. That sentiment has likely been driving the anti-diversity language, laws and behaviors so prevalent today. We're going backwards, and the military affirmative action programs will be a crucial test in the near future. https://lnkd.in/e9DTHT7A

Celebrating “Juneteenth”…this is more than just another holiday - only becoming officially a federal holiday since June 17th, 2021, thanks to President Biden. ———- A quick history on Juneteenth… When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the enslavement of African people ended in states controlled by the Confederacy. It wasn't until the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 1865 that slavery was finally abolished in the United States. However, for many Black Americans, life remained the same. Enslaved people in border states were not freed, and for all practical purposes, neither were those in the Confederate states until the Union army entered (…) by Thoughtco.com - https://lnkd.in/e5a3mQey ————— I personally feel something unique about this day in history. My great, great, great…you get the point, grandmother, married her slave owner, Mr. Mumford. That union was more than dangerous, to say the least. They were married and lived in Georgia in mid 1800’s. Georgia was one of the most overtly racist and hostile confederate states of that era. To this day, I dont know how they survived. If a black person looked at a white person back then, you could have been lynched, without justification. Some were, with no hope of justice of any kind, ever being served… Knowing how far my own family and country has come, with a lot of work to be done, I can only hope that our collective future holds better things. More empathy for equality, inclusion, and simple goodwill, as we move deeper into the 21st century. #juneteenth #freedom #liberty #equality #justice #onevillage

Juneteenth, also known as #FreedomDay, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. This day serves as a powerful reminder of the struggle for freedom and the ongoing importance of inclusion and equality. We stand in solidarity with the Black community and are committed to continuous learning, understanding, and taking positive action. Learn more about #Juneteenth’s rich history, from its origins in 1865 to its recognition as a federal holiday in 2021: https://hubs.ly/Q02Cp1yL0

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