7 Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth and Make an Impact in The Black Community
Today the nation celebrated Juneteenth as a national holiday for the second time ever. The origin of Juneteenth was to celebrate when the Emancipation Proclamation was finally delivered on June 19, 1865 to the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas.
Here are 7 ways you can celebrate the legacy of those that fought to make our current freedoms possible while still making an impact the Black community.
7 ways you can make an impact in the Black community:
1. Buy Black
2. Bank Black
5. Volunteer in Your Community
1. Buy Black
It is easier than ever to support Black-owned businesses, but Black businesses aren’t receiving the same amount of love and support as their counterparts in other communities.
Black entrepreneurs have a harder time gaining access to credit and business loans, and receive just 1% of all venture capital funding. Besides institutional barriers to success, less money also circulates in the Black community, and the money that is spent in our community doesn’t go as far as dollars spent in other communities.
According to a study conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth, a dollar circulates 9x in Asian communities before it exits, 6x in Hispanic communities, but only circulates 1x in Black communities before it leaves. With a purchasing power close to one trillion dollars, the Black community cannot afford to continue let their money walk out of the door.
When you support a Black-owned businesses you’re doing more than just supporting that individual, you are also supporting Black wealth creation and economic development. Black businesses tend be located in majority Black communities, employ Black people, and purchase goods from other local Black businesses which creates a self-sustaining economic ecosystem.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has a list of Black-owned business directories where you can find Black business in your area to support. So, this Juneteenth help create wealth in the Black community by supporting Black-owned businesses and recycling the Black dollar.
2. Bank Black
As of 2022, there are only 19 Black-owned banks in the United States.
Black-owned banks play a pivotal role in fighting racial discrimination in the financial industry by serving communities that were effected by racist policies such as redlining and the denial of credit based on race, thus helping to narrow the wealth gap in America.
Next time you think about creating a checking account, applying for a mortgage, or looking for credit, consider working with a Black-owned bank and continue to circulate the Black dollar in our community.
List of all Black-owned banks in the United States:
Listed alphabetically by headquarter state
· Alamerica Bank (Alabama) Website
· Commonwealth National Bank (Alabama) Website
· Citizens Trust Bank (Georgia) Website
· Carver State Bank (Georgia) Website
· GN Bank (Illinois) Website
· Liberty Bank and Trust Company (Louisiana) Website
· OneUnited Bank (Massachusetts) Website
· The Harbor Bank of Maryland (Maryland) Website
· First Independence Bank (Michigan) Website
· Mechanics & Farmers Bank (North Carolina) Website
· Carver Federal Savings Bank (New York) Website
· First Security Bank and Trust Company (Oklahoma) Website
· United Bank of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Website
· OPTUS Bank (South Carolina) Website
· Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Company (Tennessee) Website
· Unity National Bank of Houston (Texas) Website
· City First Bank (Washington DC) Website
· Industrial Bank (Washington DC) Website
· Columbia Savings and Loan Association (Wisconsin) Website
3. Support HBCU’s
In the United States there are currently 107 HBCU’s serving over 220,000 students. While HBCU’s only make up 3% of the country’s colleges and universities, they enroll 10% of Black students and produce roughly 20% of all Black graduates!
Not only are HBCU’s carrying more than their weight when it comes to producing Black graduates, but they also enroll a greater proportion of first-generation and low-income students thus creating educational opportunities for those who stand to benefit the most.
The best ways to show support for our HBCU’s is to actively enroll in them, recommend them to future college graduates, or donate monetarily to help sustain them.
If you’re still not sold on the continued importance of HBCU’s to our community, here are some additional statistics to demonstrate why supporting our nations HBCU’s is paramount to our success as a nation:
· HBCU’s educate 50% of Black teachers, 70% of Black dentists and physicians, 50% of Black lawyers, 80% of Black judges, and 40% of Black engineers
· 40% of Black Congressional members are, or have been, graduates of an HBCU
· 12.5% of Black CEO’s are HBCU graduates
The numbers don’t lie, your support of HBCU’s will directly contribute to the building of a stronger Black workforce that can better serve the community.
4. Support Black Scholars
Education has always played a pivotal role in the uplifting of our community. You can continue that tradition by supporting Black scholars through:
· Mentorships or tutoring with programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters
· Taking young scholars on college tours or exposing them to higher education through events like the Black College Expo
· Helping students apply for scholarships
· Donating to scholarship funds and organizations such as the United Negro College Fund
5. Volunteer in your community
Kids are always looking for role models and images of successful to imitate. Unfortunately, in too many families in our community a child’s nature first role model is absent.
You can help be that positive role model in a young person’s life through organizations like My Brother’s Keeper which was founded by President Obama to address the opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color, or volunteer as a mentor for a young person in your community through Big Brothers Big Sisters.
These aren’t the only organizations you can get involved in to make a difference in your community. There are many local civic groups that serve many different demographics and do community service projects of all types. For example, Feed the Streets RVA is a millennial ran non-profit in Richmond, VA that provides food and hygiene essentials to those who are less fortunate and also hosts festivals for kids throughout the year.
If you’re a church-goer, you could check to see if your church has a community service ministry or other opportunities to volunteer.
6. Get Civically engaged
Making your voice heard in local, state, and national policy discussions is not just your right, but your responsibility.
For most of American history, Black Americans were shutout from the debate on policy matters that effected the lives of themselves and their community. But, through organizing efforts from groups such as the SCLC and NAACP during the Civil Rights Movement, the Urban League, and more recently BLM, major battles for social justice, equality under the law, and equity have been fought and won.
Find a cause you believe in and connect with organizations that address those concerns. If you can’t find a group that addresses your concerns, or the issues that affect your community, linkup with likeminded people and build the movement yourself. Policies don’t change unless you change them, so get out there and be the change you want to see.
If you don’t know where to start, just attend a local community meeting — this will put you in a place to connect with other people who can support you.
7. Run for office
You don’t need to run for national or state-wide office in order to get involved in politics and create positive change in your community. Most elected offices are at the local level and run the gamut from city council and mayor to chief of police and the school board. Your local public offices have more of an impact on your livelihood than the state and national elections, so it’s just as important that you’re engaged at this level as you may be at the state and national level.
If running for political office isn’t your thing, you can still make sure your voice is being heard by supporting and voting for candidates that share your values and will fight for the issues you care about.
You can register to vote, learn about upcoming races, and get information on how to run for public office by visiting your state and local Board of Elections.
Conclusion
It doesn’t take much effort to make a lasting difference in our community. So, this Juneteenth, whether you decide to give back with your time or money, every seed planted will help create a strong foundation for the next generation.
