Juneteenth, June 19th, marks the anniversary of chattel slavery finally ending in the United States as the Union Army marched onto plantations in the final state (Texas) to free the last people held in bondage there. The date was June 19th, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed. There’s so much more to unpack and here’s a fabulous place to start.
Indeed, Juneteenth is the celebration of chains being lifted, challenging us to lift our own & to lift each other’s today & all days, knowing slavery doesn’t end — it evolves — and so can we 🧡
For another perspective on Juneteenth and black liberation, enjoy Rebekah Williams and I reading a beloved children’s book aloud together:
Farming, food and freedom are deeply intertwined & here are a few ways to celebrate Juneteenth, Friends:
~️ reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth in your garden:
When did you first learn about Juneteenth? Who was alive in your family when Juneteenth happened? How do these reflections influence how you show up with friends, family & community?
~ join a local Juneteenth Celebration!
~ say ‘Happy Juneteenth!’ everywhere you go
~ Each year for Juneteenth and beyond we collaborate with our beloved local black- and women-led food justice organization, Food for the Spirit.
From Rebekah Williams, Food for the Spirit founder:
“Since 2020, the literal seed money from Fruition Seeds made it possible for Black women from Buffalo to retreat together in the beautiful Finger Lakes, making it possible for us to nurture ourselves, deepening our relationships with ourselves and each other, and take time to breathe in the beautiful scenery and rest.”
Friends, as you sow seeds, know you are sowing so much more than seeds🧡
And Friends, another thread of humbling truth(s) we tend in these times: Even as we celebrate the beauty and gifts of sharing seed so widely, the implications of selling appropriated seeds and calling upon capitalism (‘half the sales will nourish this other organization, purchase today!’) to dismantle the privilege and power of racialized capitalism is deeply fraught. We don’t claim to share this invitation as a substitute for healing, reparations or deeper solidarity; we do offer it as an exciting, imperfect and constantly evolving approach to deepen together our relationship with and understanding of seeds, solidarity and beloved community and belonging.
Thanks for growing with us in all the ways and always!
Sow Seeds & Sing Songs,
& the whole Fruition Crew
If you’d love to contribute to Food for the Spirit now or in the future, reach out to them here and we love you so!
Wow! Thank you for the reading of the wonderful book about Fannie Lou Hamer, “Voice of Freedom.” Rebekah Williams and Petra read with such reverence and vigor. I had other things to do this morning, but I had to sit and listen-I did not want to miss a single word. I have tears in my eyes knowing that voting rights are whittled down each day by white supremacists who are too scared to know that what they are doing is out of fear, and the hate it engenders. Keep it up, Fruition seeds. There is a Juneteenth celebration on Monday, June 19, at Genesee ValleyPark, Riverbend shelter with a run/walk at 1 pm and a free Jazz concert at 5:30 pm at Roundhouse shelter. Proceeds of the race go to the construction of the Civil Rights Heritage Park in Rochester. Go to itsyourrace.com.