This June remember: Pride Month & Juneteenth
"Nobody's free until everybody's free"
-Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) —read a little bit about Fannie Lou Hamer at Womens history Fannie Lou Hamer
Straight Ally Flag——->
June typically marks the beginning of a summer break for many young people. June is also now recognized as "Pride Month", where people who are members or allies of the LGBTQIA+ community celebrate and embrace diversity. We also want to remember Juneteenth, sometimes called "Freedom Day" or "Black Independence Day". Please take some time to appreciate the fragile freedoms that so many have fought for and continue to fight for, as you celebrate sunshine, and swimming pools and long summer nights. Current politics continues to breed division and distrust. Perhaps if we contemplate how very much more we are all alike than different and how much we can grow and learn when we lift each other up and celebrate the differences, we will find peace. Can you imagine a world joined in love, not hate, a world fueled by empathy and not fear? People often learn more when information is presented in an interesting way.
To that end please check out some of these stories:
Milk (2008)
An American biographical film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
My Name Is Pauli Murray (2021)
A documentary about Pauli Murray who was a non-binary Black lawyer, activist, poet, and priest. Murray influenced Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Thurgood Marshall and became close friends with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Soldier's Girl (2003)
A biographical drama of the relationship between Army private Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams, a transgender performer and the events that led up to Barry's murder by a fellow soldier.
PRIDE (2021)
Progress Pride Flag
A six-part documentary series currently available on HULU, chronicling the struggle for LGBTQ+ civil rights in America from the 1950s through the 2000s. Seven renowned LGBTQ+ directors explore heroic and heartbreaking stories that define us as a nation. The limited series spans the FBI surveillance of homosexuals during the 1950s Lavender Scare to the ‘Culture Wars’ of the 1990s and beyond, exploring the queer legacy of the Civil Rights movement and the battle over marriage equality.
Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America’s history lost—until now. Currently available on Hulu
Juneteenth:1865-2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdkVKgelxVs&t=6s
"June 19, 1865 was a date that means so much to Texas. On that day in Galveston, Texas, slaves learned they were free. But actually realizing that freedom? It didn’t come easy. 'Juneteenth:1865-2021' looks back at the meaning of Juneteenth and its history in southeast Texas."
Miss Juneteenth (2020)
This is not a documentary or biography but a great story centered around the relationship between a mother and her daughter. I really liked it and one reviewer described it as "...a film that celebrates the freedom and vastness of Black folks, is the perfect Juneteenth gift". Streaming on Philo, BET, and for rent/purchase on Amazon.