Juneteenth (short for June 19th) honors the anniversary of the date when, two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, federal troops took control of Texas, designating the effective end of slavery in the United States. While slavery was declared illegal by law, institutional racism persists in our society.
Through our Juneteenth - Call to Action campaign, GivePulse partnered with organizations across the country dedicated to racial justice, education, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage all individuals to get involved to show support and solidarity with the Black community. Below are just a few ways GivePulse can help you meet your engagement goals this month and beyond.
Get Involved
Finding an organization you want to get involved with can be challenging. Through GivePulse, you can search for volunteer opportunities, pledges, fellowships, donation drives, and more in your local area or virtually. This offers a great way to find organizations that align with your mission and vision for providing tangible change across the country.
A significant component of social justice work and advocacy involves participating on a local grassroots level and calling for change from the ground up. By finding organizations on GivePulse.com, you can contribute to work that impacts racial justice. One such organization is Brown Hope, a social impact organization located in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to justice, reparations, and healing. They leverage the power of in-person and virtual engagement to reach a broader audience to spread information and awareness.
Encourage Reflection and Advocacy
Whether you join as an individual volunteer or create your own event, you can incorporate reflection and advocacy into your engagement. By taking advantage of impact surveys as an organization, you can ask reflection questions from your volunteers who participated in your event and encourage them to dig deeper into their experience. As an individual, you can participate in impact surveys, write a reflection when posting your impact, and share your reflection with others.
Support Systemic Change
GivePulse is committed to creating tangible systemic change in our country through reflection, education, and advocacy. For the past few years, our CEO and Co-founder, George Luc, has been working with Project H.E.R.E. (Higher Education Reparations Engagement) to develop a resource and networking hub for campuses and communities. Project H.E.R.E. examines institutions of higher education “histories, responsibilities, and commitments to restorative justice and repair for the historic and current injustices of slavery and colonialism.”
All students, staff, and faculty rely on institutions of higher education to create a healthy and equitable environment for learning and personal growth. Colleges and universities also have a responsibility to the communities they serve to be leaders in social change.
Building off of the legislative bill H.R. 40, institutions across the U.S. use research, theory, and the practice of reparations to develop proposals and methodologies that address the history of racial discrimination and violence in the United States. Higher education institutions, their partners, and community programs play a vital role in racial justice, from research to activism to philanthropic support.
In honor of the national holiday Juneteenth, we can come together and commit to doing our part to end systemic racism. We possess the power to make the changes our society desperately needs, and lasting change will not be possible without the willingness of each of us to recognize those needs.
Increase Accessibility to Activism
Over the past year, many institutions offered grants for students and organizations focused on racial justice. Grants can support student research and engagement, meet gaps in community organizations, and sustain projects beyond the semester or the academic year. If you are not part of an organization, you can also increase accessibility to activism by contributing to donations or mutual aid funds. The donations received from these funds are essential for sustaining activism and the projects required.
To learn more about how more about how to get involved, visit Juneteenth.givepulse.com.
