Juneteenth 2023

I just shared an Op-Ed from a developmental friend, Shakiyla Smith of the Fetzer Institute to our AR+ coLAB on leadership as developmental friendship cohort. In this coLAB we seek to practice with repatterning power-over dynamics as we muddle toward a world of power-with. Doing this work feels central to the work of transformations, as in action research for transformations! Our group meets this week on the topic of race and ethnicity specifically, which coincides with Juneteenth the new-ish Holiday in the USA.

Juneteenth is the traditional commemoration date of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a U.S. federal holiday. President Abraham Lincoln first issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all slaves free in Confederate territory on Sept. 22, 1862, but the news took time to travel. June 19, 1865, is the date when word of the proclamation reached African Americans in Texas. 

Shakiyla Smith writes with CEO Bob Boisture for USA Today. They start by noting that an overwhelming majority − 91% − of Americans believe that all people deserve an equal opportunity to succeed, no matter their race or ethnicity. It’s a belief strongly shared across political parties, religious affiliations, and racial and ethnic groups. and underscores that a vast majority of Americans want fair opportunity for all. 

They continue… 

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2023/06/15/america-divided-racism-racial-equality-hidden-common-ground/70321030007/

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