Juneteenth: What PIHers Are Reading, Watching, & Listening To
PIH staff recommend books, film, articles in honor of U.S. holiday
Posted on Jun 17, 2021
On June 19, 1865, enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas, found out they were freed—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. That day became known as Juneteenth and has been celebrated by Black communities across the United States ever since.
Understanding this holiday and what it represents—both in the past and present—is crucial to understanding U.S. history. It offers a time of celebration for Black communities, while also reminds of the responsibility that all non-Black Americans have for dismantling the white supremacy and anti-Blackness that the country was founded upon and supporting the movement for Black liberation.
Over the past year, Partners In Health has expanded its work in the U.S. through PIH United States, which collaborates closely with communities such as Montgomery, where the legacy of slavery is acutely felt to this day. PIH also works in Haiti and West Africa, where the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade continues to devastate communities and affect the lives of millions of people.
As Black communities across the U.S. observe Juneteenth and as non-Black people use the time to educate themselves on the progress still to be made toward racial justice, PIH staff have compiled a list of resources—from articles to films to podcasts—to read, watch, and listen to in honor of this holiday.
The Tradition by Jericho Brown
Recommended by Sheila Davis, CEO
I recommend The Tradition by Jericho Brown, which is a beautifully haunting collection that won the 2020 Pulitzer prize for poetry. The subjects that Brown chooses to write about are current, tragic, and not always easy to read, but the simplicity and rawness of his words are definitely worth reading and re-reading again and again.
One Night In Miami directed by Regina King
Recommended by Ellen Ball, Senior Informatics Engineer
The film One Night in Miami provides an imaginary view of a historical night in 1964 with four remarkable Black leaders (Mohammed Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke). The conversation, tension, and shared experience are on the precipice of huge shifts in civil rights and racism in the U.S. Regina King is the remarkable film director and actress/superhero of the TV series, Watchman, which shows lasting effects from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Reflections On Juneteenth by Kirby Page
Recommended by The Anti-Racism Core Team
Reflections from a PIH staff member who grew up in the birthplace of Juneteenth on the significance of the holiday and what a celebration of freedom means in the present and past and how they intersect.
So, You Want to Learn About Juneteenth? by Derrick Bryson Taylor | The New York Times
Recommended by The Anti-Racism Core Team
This article is an overview of the history of Juneteenth and its significance across the nation.
‘On Juneteenth’: Historian Examines ‘Hope’ and Hostility Towards Emancipation by Annette Gordon-Reed | NPR
Recommended by The Anti-Racism Core Team
This piece gives a helpful framing of the history of Juneteenth and what it means for Black populations in East Texas where Juneteenth began and how it translates into a national holiday for the Black community across the country and a day of reflection and education for Americans as a whole.
Stop Hustling Black Death: Samaria Rice is the mother of Tamir not a “mother of the movement" by Imani Perry | The Cut
Recommended by The Anti-Racism Core Team
In the movement for Black Lives, we are moving forward with the memories and legacies of so many lives lost to the state and white supremacist violence. The intent in sharing this story is to underscore the need for empathy, dignity and respect for the families of those who have lost loved ones as we push for justice.
What We Owe and What We Are Owed: Kiese Laymon on Black revision, repayment and renewal by Kiese Laymon | Vox
Recommended by The Anti-Racism Core Team
This piece reflects on what it means for Black people to be in community with each other, pouring their energy into their own hopes, dreams, and struggles and envisioning repair and revision in the context of their own lives, outside of the white gaze and its backdrop of Black death.
Paul's Promise
As we mourn the passing of our beloved Dr. Paul Farmer, we also honor his life and legacy.
Bending the Arc
More than 30 years ago, a movement began that would change global health forever. Bending the Arc is the story of Partners In Health's origins.