Juneteenth 2022
When Van Dermyden Makus decided to identify Juneteenth as a “Firm holiday,” last year it was to recognize the importance of the day and what it stands for in our country. The day is less “holiday” and more an opportunity for reflection, education, advocacy, and ultimately, celebration. We hope everyone is able to take time to reflect on what has been accomplished, and the significant work left to do.
Daphne Pierre Bishop, VM’s Managing Partner Los Angeles wrote our Team an insightful email yesterday which we’d like to share with you. It offers an explanation of the significance of Juneteenth as well as some resources to do a deeper dive, some ideas for celebration and some ways to contribute.
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Hi VM team,
I didn’t learn about Juneteenth until I went away to college. My parents immigrated to the US from Haiti (a country with its own very complicated legacy of slavery and emancipation) in the 1960s, so I am not a descendant of people who were enslaved in the US and I certainly was never taught about Juneteenth in school. When I learned about Juneteenth from African-American friends, I felt like I had been let in on a profound secret. Juneteenth was the day in 1865 – 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation -- when news got to the enslaved people in Texas that they were free. Since then, Juneteenth has been a day for African-Americans to remember the horrors of chattel slavery and celebrate the end of the brutal institution. To me, Juneteenth reflects the contradictions of the Black experience in America: joy and pain, gains and setbacks.
In our work as investigators, we are used to complexity and contradictions. Our work as investigators is critical to the fight for racial equality. Employers and educational institutions can’t rectify inequities without first identifying them. I am proud to be a part of a firm that does this important work and recognizes this holiday, but we can all do more. On this Juneteenth, I invite you not only to remember and celebrate, but also to take concrete action against racial injustice.
What can we do to remember? I am reading On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon Reed. Here are some other resources that delve into the history and repercussions of slavery in the US:
The Civil War, A Film By Ken Burns
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1938
What can we do to celebrate? I’m going to check out The People’s Juneteenth festival in my neighborhood. Here are some local Juneteenth activities:
Sacramento- Juneteenth in Sacramento
https://sacramentojuneteenthinc.org/
Bay Area- Juneteenth in the Bay Area
San Diego- Juneteenth in San Diego
Los Angeles- Juneteenth in Los Angeles
What can we do to contribute to the movement for equality? I am making regular financial contributions to Equal Justice Initiative . Here are some other organizations on the front lines of the fight for racial justice. They are always looking for support – financial or otherwise:
Happy Juneteenth!
Daphne Pierre Bishop
Managing Partner Los Angeles
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To support this important work, VM is making a charitable donation to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, whose mission states:
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Using the power of law, narrative, research, and people, we defend and advance the full dignity and citizenship of Black people in America.
We hope other organizations follow suit and find ways to support this important effort.