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This New ‘Juneteenth’ Is Really About the Commodification of Blackness
Honestly, I believe there’s a collective confusion about why so many Black folx aren’t enthused that Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday.
Even the most progressive of Black folx probably see this as a “win,” when really, it’s just another way to commodify, gentrify, and co-opt another Black tradition.
Kwanzaa may be the only one left untouched.
Though most companies may not recognize Juneteenth as “paid time off,” for the white folx who work for companies that do, I challenge you to reflect on what it really means for you to have paid time off on a day that observes and commemorates the freedom of enslaved Black folx who gave this country hundreds of years of nonconsensual free labor.
Like… really sit with what that means.
Because if, for you, this is a time to reflect on how you as an ally can contribute to the dismantling of systemic racism (really racism as a whole), as well as the injustices against every iteration of Black, do you really need a PAID day off to do that?
Are there not other dates and times you can invest that don’t disrupt the celebration and veneration of Blackness and Black culture?
