Let’s rewrite history together
Thank you to those who attended “How You Can Be An Ally for Social Change” co-sponsored by Leading Ladies at The Cabot in Beverly last week. There was quite a crowd, all eager to engage in meaningful discussion with Abu Toppin, the city of Beverly’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, and Di Ciruolo, a leader in the field and author of the soon-to-be-released book, Ally Up, about how to work for social justice in our communities. If you missed it, you can watch it on The Cabot’s website at the end of this week. Or, here’s a short intro on YouTube from Di Ciruoloto acquaint you with her and her work.
Dear Leading Ladies,
June marks LGBTQ Pride Month as well as Juneteenth, both celebrations of events and people notably absent from the history books of our 1960s and 1970s school years. Instead, we learned, by the omissions, that gay people did not live in our worlds and certainly did not contribute to our society in meaningful ways; and that the important people and achievements in history were all accomplished by white people, particularly men whose families came from northern Europe.
Thankfully, the situation has improved over the last 50-plus years.
250 ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS THIS YEAR
Since the 1969 Stonewall Tavern riots in New York City ignited the gay civil rights movement, and the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s spread across the country, we have all become far more aware of the needs and challenges of LGBTQ Americans, as well as their many contributions to our society. Moreover, laws have been put in place to protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination. Nonetheless, the battle is far from over.
For example, although it is against the law in the US to discriminate against employees on the basis of sexual orientation, “in 27 states, there are no explicit statewide laws at all protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations,” according to freedomforallamericans.org. Also, there is “no federal legislation in the United States that currently protects individuals from healthcare discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation,” according to a law firm that handles discrimination cases against LGBTQ people.
And, as Renée Graham pointed out in her column in the the Boston Globe on June 6, “From bans on transgender-related health care to disallowing classroom lessons about LGBTQ people, more than 250 discriminatory bills have been introduced this year in 41 states.”
This month, the Senate may have the opportunity to vote on the Equality Act, which would ensure the rights of LGBTQ Americans. Already passed by the House, the Act “would extend protections to cover federally funded programs, employment, housing, loan applications, education and public accommodations,” according to an article in CBS News. Passage in the Senate will require 60 votes, thereby necessitating Republican support. Please let your senators know that the civil rights of LGBTQ Americans are important to you.
We need to keep in mind that anti-discrimination laws are only part of the solution. As Graham points out, corporate America needs to step up in their hiring and workplace policies as examples of equity and humanity. And we, as individuals, need to call out behavior and language that discriminates, belittles, shuns, bullies, or in any way hurts LGBTQ members of our communities. The rates of depression, suicide, and other mental health crises among this population are directly correlated with the treatment they receive in their everyday lives by strangers, family, and friends. As the saying goes, if you see (or hear) something, say something that gives support to a person being harmed by language or action.
JUNETEENTH: THE HOLIDAY TOO MANY NEVER HEARD OF
As for Juneteenth, until very recently many of us had never heard of the holiday to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the United States. Juneteenth, a combination of June and nineteenth, is also known as Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day. It was first celebrated in Galveston, Texas, on the first anniversary of the June 19, 1865, proclamation by Union Army General Gordon Granger stating that all slaves in Texas were free. The holiday has since spread nationwide, but is celebrated almost exclusively by African Americans and some Native Americans whose ancestors were enslaved. (The history of emancipation’s date, it might be noted, is a little complicated, since President Lincoln actually made his Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier. Because Union troops were not present in large numbers in remote areas, emancipation was not universally enacted. In Kentucky and Delaware, actually, slavery continued until later in 1865 when the 13th Amendment outlawed chattel slavery.)
Emancipation Day Celebration, 1900. Mrs. Charles Stephenson (Grace Murray) / Wikimedia Commons Public Domain
But we digress.
Historically, African Americans alone have marked the holiday with large gatherings of friends and families in parks and other community spaces, enjoying food, music, and dance together. Prayer and inspirational speeches were also part of the day’s activities, as were baseball games and even rodeo events. Today, a quick scan of newspaper calendars on online media shows a growing number of public events commemorating Juneteenth.
Freedom is surely something that all fair-minded Americans who believe in equality and justice should honor, and emancipation was clearly a step forward in the effort to become a better union. Yet, it is easy to imagine that white people participating in a traditional Juneteenth celebration might feel intrusive or even like cultural appropriation.
What is the view of the Black community? Are there other ways for white allies to show support and acknowledge the importance of this date in history? Should Juneteenth be a state or national holiday? We encourage more open dialogue with Black community leaders about how white allies can best support and participate in recognizing the anniversary of emancipation in meaningful ways.
Of course, we understand that beyond Juneteenth, history books in today’s schools must present accurate information about slavery in the North and South, the Civil War and its aftermath, the long and enduring struggle for civil rights, and the accomplishments and contributions of indigenous people and people of color to our nation. No holiday can remove the need for that systemic change.
This week, we recommend
you watch The Boston Globe’s Juneteenth Film Festival with free virtual screenings and discussions of the films Blue Hill Avenue (Thurs, June 17) and Harriet (Mon, June 21). RSVP at Globe.com/Events.
Iris are in bloom in our gardens and woods this month. Did you know that the iris (Iris xiphium) symbolizes hope, cherished friendship, and valor?
We hope you are all enjoying good health and the renewed connections to friends and family that have come with being vaccinated.
Therese
Judy
Mary
Beth
Leading Ladies Executive Team
ladies@leadingladiesvote.org
leadingladiesvote.org