Juneteenth: Why does it matter?

155 years ago, on June 19, 1865, slavery ended in the U.S. A lot of people say, “Oh, that was a long time ago!”.

Okay, sure. But, just take a look at this Twitter thread. Think about it:

  • Slavery *officially* ended only 3-5 generations ago.

  • The last known survivor of the Transatlantic Slave Trade was named Matilda McCrear who died in 1940. Okay, I will do the math for you. That was 80 years ago. The average life expectancy in the U.S. today is 78 years. For Black people, it is 75 years.

  •  Remember separate but equal? Jim Crow laws were enacted in 1895 and enforced until 1965. That means racist white people who enforced these unjust laws onto black people may still be alive today, raising their children and grandchildren who may have picked up, directly or indirectly, racist viewpoints.

  • These views are part of an entire system built to keep black and brown people ‘in their place’ forcing generations to relive the racial trauma experienced by their relatives.  

  • There are Black people alive today that have the words ‘Negro’ or ‘colored’ on their birth certificates.

This is what systemic racism is. Generations upon generations of people who have enacted and suffered from unjust ideas and actions that have been injected into society. Government, religion, law, healthcare, law enforcement and even science have all been founded on principles of racism that we have only just begun to address as a society. 

Tomorrow is Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery. Juneteenth matters because Black Lives Matter. Despite the many hurdles, Black scientists have thrived and done amazing work in every field of research. Whether you want to hear about science in pop culture or race and climate change, there are a whole host of Juneteenth events to choose from. Click the event titles to learn more!

Dr. Raychelle Burks

Hot Science at Home: Science & the Avengers

June 19: 7:00-7:45 PM, CDT

National Center for Institutional Diversity

Still, We Rise: Navigating Race & Religion in the Academy

June 19: 2:30-4:00 PM, EST

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson introduced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus

The Intersection of Race & Climate Change on Instagram Live

June 19: 1:00 PM EST

#BLACKandSTEM Disapora Celebrates Juneteenth

Live Online Party featuring DJ Nune

June 19: 9:00 – 11:00 PM EST

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