The Ben & Jerry’s Juneteenth Resource Guide

June 17, 2022

Juneteenth flag

On June 19, 1865, a Union general in Galveston, Texas, issued an order proclaiming that all enslaved people in the state were free. Because Texas was the last state to acknowledge slavery’s abolition, that order effectively ended chattel slavery in the United States.

Commemorated ever since by Black communities across the country, Juneteenth (June + nineteenth) has in recent times become a day when Americans pause to reflect on the injustice of slavery and racism while celebrating Black history and culture.

Yes, it took 156 very long years for Juneteenth to become a national holiday, but we’re hopeful that a national reckoning with the legacy of slavery and racism has finally begun.

 

America’s True Independence Day

Juneteenth is often referred to as America’s true Independence Day because, let’s be honest, only white, male Americans won their freedom on July 4, 1776. So it’s a good day to look at where we’ve been and to get to work becoming the inclusive, just, and equitable nation we want to be.

For Juneteenth this year, we created a handy Ben & Jerry’s resource guide to help do just that. We hope you enjoy it.

 

History

Criminal Legal System Reform

Transforming Public Safety

Climate and Environmental Justice

The climate crisis affects all of us, but not equally. Its impact is felt most by communities of color and low-income communities, the same people and places that have been hit hardest by pollution for generations.

 

Activist Voices

Things We All Can Do to Help

Changing the world is hard! But we’re all in this together. This Juneteenth, let’s celebrate our nation’s ability to acknowledge and learn from our past as we rededicate ourselves to the unending, necessary, and joyful work of forming a more perfect union. Not sure what you can do? Here’s a start: