Friday was Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the US. It has been celebrated by Black Americans since the late 1800s, and now provides a great opportunity to reflect on what it means to be free in America. What should liberty & justice for all look like and why haven’t we been able to achieve it?
At MaineShare, we support our Member Groups, many of whom have been asking this question for a long time and many of us who are still trying to figure out how we unwittingly may be obstacles to progress because we haven’t been asking enough questions.
This edition of our newsletter highlights what we are learning from some of our amazing Member Groups such as ProsperityMaine who works with new immigrants to navigate all the essential components of building economic success in our country; Maine Initiatives who recently issued a heartfelt statement and promise, “We are all Minneapolis – We are Minneapolis ” – and then followed it up by announcing they are making an immediate contribution totaling $20,000 to four Black-led organizations; Consumers for Affordable Health who advocates for the right to quality, affordable health care for every person in Maine; Maine Access Immigrant Network’s (MAIN) Community Health Workers who help immigrants and refugees become familiar with their health care and rights; Maine Equal Justice who works to target and shrink disparities through policy change; and Resources for Organizing and Social Change who provides a wealth of social justice legacy information, downloadable resources and support.
Read our more in our June Newsletter online.