This weekend, June 19-21, our Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter is joining the Movement for Black Lives in a Juneteenth mobilization throughout New Mexico. Please join this national and international call for racial justice, equality and an end to police brutality.
Juneteenth (June 19) celebrates the day that Black communities, who remained enslaved two years after the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, finally received the news that they were free on June 19,1865. This Juneteenth is a rare moment for all of us to proclaim in one voice that Black Lives Matter and that we won’t tolerate anything less than justice for all Black lives, justice that has been withheld for too long.
These past several weeks of protest have illustrated that if we are to be advocates of climate change, we must advocate for racial equity and confront racism.
Part of Sierra Club’s mission is to fight for safe and healthy communities. This also includes safety from police violence. The call for defunding the police means shifting massive spending from police practices that do not keep us safe — and specifically terrorize and target communities of color — and reinvesting it in a shared vision of community safety that actually works. This will not happen overnight. It will happen through a thoughtful, deliberate and participatory process. We want to see real systemic change that will make a profound difference for Black lives.
Please join a Juneteenth event near you or virtually. Only you can decide your risk tolerance and personal comfort with participating in public events. Please assess the risks based on your personal health. If you do decide to attend in person, please wear a mask, use hand sanitizer often, and maintain 6 or more feet distance from others outside your household. If you are not comfortable, consider checking out some of the options below to show your support from home.
Here are some events happening in New Mexico this Juneteenth weekend. EVENT DETAILS MAY CHANGE, SO PLEASE CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE:
Friday, June 19:
12 p.m.: In-person: NM Defend Black Lives, Truth or Consequences
2 p.m.: In-person: NM Defend Black Lives March, Los Alamos
5-10 p.m.: In-person: Protest: Building Unification through Community, Roosevelt Park, Albuquerque
5-10 p.m.: In-person: Racial Equity Outdoor Forum – Plaza Park, Las Vegas,NM
5:50 p.m.: In-person: Black Lives Matter March, Española
7-8:30 p.m.: In-person: Justice and Peace Vigil, NMSU Corbett Center Student Union Outdoor Stage, Las Cruces
6-8 p.m. Online: We Saved Ourselves: Africans and the Abolition of Slavery. This event is for Black people only. Check out Facebook post for information to attend.
Saturday, June 20
12 p.m.: In-person: Weekly Veterans for Peace Protest, Santa Fe
12-8 p.m. Online: Statewide Virtual Juneteenth Celebration on Gov TV
5-10 p.m.: In-person: Albuquerque Juneteenth 2020 Roosevelt Park
6-8 p.m.: Online: Juneteenth Showtime at AAPAC: What is Juneteenth?
CANCELLED: 8:30-11:30 p.m.: In-person: IT CAN’T WAIT March – Albuquerque
Sunday, June 21, 2020
3-5 p.m.: Online: Juneteenth Community Live Town Hall
Here are other ways to engage and support the Movement for Black lives:
Check out and use this list of New Mexico black-owned businesses.
Make a donation to organizations supporting this movement:
Westlund Foundation
Black Lives Matter Albuquerque
On Monday, June 29, the City Council will consider ending Albuquerque APD’s Military Surplus Program. Please join the meeting and speak out.
Here are some things you can do from home:
— Learn about anti-racism to deepen your understanding of issues. Here are some resources.
— Help promote these events on social media. Share them on Facebook or Twitter. Use these hashtags: #juneteenthNM, #DefendBlackLives, #BlackLivesMatter, #DefundPolice
— Update your profile in FB, Twitter and Instagram
— Tweet out demands for police accountability, targeting local officials or police departments.
If you haven’t it already, here is a message from our chair Mary Hotvedt.
As one of the largest climate and environmental justice advocacy organizations, part of the Sierra Club’s mandate is to ensure that oppressed communities receive justice and experience the benefits of a healthy and sustainable future. We can never forget that the roots of the climate crisis lie in racism, land theft, pillaging, colonialism and patriarchy.
In solidarity,
Miya King-Flaherty
Our Wild New Mexico organizer
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