The Moment Archive

Despite attempts to quickly commercialize the recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday in the United States, this celebration highlights the importance of honest history and the relevance of the past in the struggles of the present. These LFJ resources can help unpack the complex history of this observance that originated in Texas—including the need for intervention from the federal government and efforts toward obscuring what actually took place.

We are celebrating Pride 2022 in the shadow of hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills, anti-CRT legislation (prohibiting teaching about racism) and assaults on reproductive rights aimed at silencing and disenfranchising people—all coordinated efforts in a backlash against gains in social justice and equity. As we celebrate a legacy of courage, resilience and strength, let us commit to building coalitions of justice, to being allies to one another. We know from experience that freedom and justice require ongoing resistance, activism and solidarity.

The latest violent attack—this time at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and 2 adults were murdered—adds to the alarming incidents of violence that we’ve witnessed in our nation.

It’s imperative to clarify the context within which the massacre in Buffalo, New York, took place. Understanding the long history of anti-Black violence in the United States can help us connect the past to the present and find a different way forward. These LFJ resources can help.

As we confront the ongoing assaults on education and individual rights—including anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQ laws, book bans, and the threat to reproductive rights—we recognize that these issues have compounded the stress at the end of the academic year. These resources provide strategies for educators, caregivers and community members to support the mental health and well-being of our nation’s youth.