Holidays Born of Crisis
How to Keep Juneteenth from Becoming Just Another Summer Holiday
The Crisis Series. 2020 has served as a breaking point for so many structures in health, justice, economy, and equality. I explore how individuals and companies can find lessons out of this year’s challenges to create a better world. Sign up for more here.
Every Fourth of July, families gather to watch fireworks and eat BBQ, drinking beer out of cans decorated with American flags. It’s one of Hershey’s biggest sales days as people plan s’mores over fires. And, like every good American holiday, there are plenty of sales. Most of the people celebrating don’t reverently re-read the Declaration of Independence, or have a moment of silence for all that it took to break the monarchic hold and grant freedom to the (white, male, land-owning) people of the young republic.
Yet it’s the de facto starting point for America’s most cherished value, freedom. History is written by the victor, as they say, and the victor defines which revolutions and heroes we celebrate. As the United States roils with protests and marches against white supremacy, the foundations of America’s history are in question. Protesters are tearing down statues of slave-holders and men who wrested land from the Indigenous. NASCAR banned the confederate flag from its races. Products with racist branding are transforming.
In Bristol, the statue of slave-owner Edward Colston has been torn down, and its plaque is being replaced. Credit to Martinsville Bulletin
But this is not a new conversation; contesting the meaning of history is a core part of cultural transformation. In 1852, Frederick Douglass was already orating about a counter-narrative to the freedom of the Fourth. In his speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July, he said:
“I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
This was eleven years before the Emancipation Proclamation, and fourteen years before the first Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery and freedom for Black Americans.
Welcome to America’s newest holiday
In many Black communities, Juneteenth has been a celebration of resistance and Black joy for over a century, and it is already a legal holiday in some states. With more Black showrunners behind the scenes, Juneteenth has crept into pop culture on shows like Black-ish and Atlanta. If you haven’t already steeped yourself in its history, here’s The Roots with a quick history from that episode of Black-ish, or a slightly more in-depth history from Vox.
In non-Black communities, Juneteenth is most likely new news. My social feeds are burgeoning with Black history, mostly from non-Black people catching each other up to a celebration that’s been happening out of their sight for generations. Non-Black people are grappling with how to recognize it with tact. Do I wish someone a happy Juneteenth? Do we close the office? Do I celebrate? Do I march and donate? Do I just listen to Beyonce’s Juneteenth drop on repeat? (The answer is yes).
The interesting thing about holidays is that their meaning slowly decays as traditions take root, unless we work hard to maintain it. In the US, Memorial Day was started to mourn the dead of the Civil War; now it’s the first hurrah of summer and a dictate on when to pull out your white shoes. Labor Day is intended to celebrate the Labor Movement, but now it primarily serves to bracket summer on the other end. As many activists have been reminding us, Martin Luther King, Jr was loathed in his short lifetime, but MLK Day celebrates him as a beloved hero rather than a martyr in the fight for racial justice. And each of these half-remembered holidays is a perfect time for an all-American past-time -- sales.
As the holiday becomes nationally recognized, we cannot lose the intent of this moment. Juneteenth is a reminder that history is not one monolithic narrative. History is a million stories, and when a dominant culture tries to bury those stories, they will only fuel the fire of a movement. Because people don’t forget. They burn and boil under oppression.
History must keep adjusting to stay in tune with the present. This is why statues are toppling. This is why Columbus Day is contested by indigenous communities and other colonized people. This is why police officers who have committed murder should lose their jobs and go to jail. Because the dominant narrative of white supremacy and colonization has left scar tissue across generations, and reconfiguring power is part of healing.
So what to do with Juneteenth, an old-new holiday, to honor its meaning this year and into the future? Some ways of celebrating that have percolated up on my feeds:
A day to buy from Black-owned businesses
A day to promote Black joy and creativity
A day to research Black history
A day to march and protest with renewed energy
A day to donate money
Which of these actions will become part of a new national Juneteenth tradition to commemorate the freedom of the Emancipation Proclamation, and to keep us accountable for the goals of dismantling systems of racism?
A few Juneteenth posts from my social feeds
A holiday can quickly turn hollow and become easy way for companies and individuals to latch onto a moment without allying with the movement. If Juneteenth became a federal holiday, it might be a step in the right direction, but it’s also too easy for its meaning to slide into America’s comfort zone of a day off and a sale.
Gay Pride in June has become a marquee moment to watch brands co-opt a movement. This month marks the anniversary of the Stonewall riots that were started by Black & brown trans activists, and has become an opportunity for marketers to spectacularly fail in connecting with consumers. And yet, when they make their stumbles, it invites consumers to critique the internal practices of companies that are suddenly sporting rainbow flags on social media. As I discussed last week, breaking silence is the beginning of accountability.
How Can Brands Juneteenth?
A few brands have dipped their toe into the fray of communicating about Juneteenth. The most common action has been to give the day off, a good starting point while it creeps into federal holiday territory, but other approaches have been a mixed bag. Ben and Jerry’s, everyone’s favorite activist ice cream, used ice cream as a metaphor for defunding the police, whereas an ad agency offered up a head-scratching pun line to promote an event.
I refer back to a model I use for brands grappling with how to show up during a pandemic. It invites us to review what we have to offer: our people, our products, our processes, our platforms.
People
Many of my Black colleagues have felt overwhelmed by the requests to show up during this time, when they’ve had to fight to be heard for so long. It’s wise to elevate Black voices, but also to protect them. Respect that it’s hard work to be present during an emotionally volatile time. This is why a free day feels right, and asking Black people to show up for additional labor on Juneteenth doesn’t.
But this is also a time to educate and learn. There’s a new canon of anti-racist literature that an entire company can read together. There are days prior to Juneteenth to remember the history that got us here.
Products
If you’re a Black-owned business, you have the spotlight on this holiday. Get on the list of Black-owned bookstores, restaurants, and wineries (special shout-out to former client, The McBride Sisters), or start a list in your industry. Creating a tradition of buying from Black businesses on Juneteenth fits squarely in America’s appetite to spend on holidays.
Processes
Many companies are examining their processes through the lens of racial equity. Hiring, retention, promotion, vendor relationships are all under scrutiny. Whether tied to the specific day or not, a yearly review of progress on racial equity goals. R/GA has published its diversity data in a public showing of accountability.
Platforms
Selena Gomez and other celebrities have shared their expansive social media platforms with Black activists. If it’s right for the brand, a company can follow suit, creating opportunities for activists to speak directly to audiences they may not otherwise have access to.
There are plenty of ways that Juneteenth can continue and commemorate this moment of national reckoning with the mean of freedom. Just don’t hit me up next year with a Juneteenth Sale creative brief.
Thank you for reading. Do your part to arrest the murderers of Breonna Taylor, and of the young Andres Guardado who was shot to death by the LA Sherriff's Department just last week.