Juneteenth reminds us of a hard truth: freedom has always been delayed; and it’s still being denied for too many in our communities.
More than 160 years after emancipation, Black families in Memphis are still being targeted by systems that punish instead of support. Public schools are under attack. Police violence goes unaddressed. Budgets prioritize control over care. And basic needs like housing, transit, healthcare, and opportunity, are treated as optional.
But Juneteenth also reminds us of something else: the power of people who refuse to give up. The courage to keep organizing. The audacity to believe that something better is not only possible, but necessary.
This year, we’ve fought to stop a state takeover of our public schools and to protect the democratic leadership our communities fought hard to elect. We’ve demanded a Moral Budget that invests in housing, transit, youth, and care instead of doubling down on punishment and austerity. We’ve stood alongside our partners at the NAACP and ACLU to defend vital federal programs like SNAP and Medicaid.
And we’ve taken part in the Seven States Safety campaign, a national effort to expose and challenge police violence in cities where the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed widespread civil rights violations. Even after the DOJ retracted its findings in Memphis, we remain committed to truth and accountability. We will not be deterred in our fight for real reform, independent oversight, and community-based violence intervention programs that keep us safe.
And we’re only halfway through the year! The fights ahead will require even more bold leadership, strategic organizing, and deep community power.
Even as we push forward, we see far too many local leaders choosing to preserve the status quo. Instead of righting the ship, they are steering the city down a path of complacency, where the same failed policies are framed as stability, and where bold solutions are dismissed in favor of business as usual.
At a time when Memphis leaders are choosing to leave everyday Memphians behind while funding continues to flow to business, tourism and systems of punishment, we are reminded that symbolic victories are not enough. Liberation must be lived: in policy, in budgets, and in the daily decisions about whose futures are worth investing in.
So today, we honor those who came before us not only by remembering, but by continuing. By refusing to accept the status quo. And by organizing toward a future where every child has what they need to thrive.
Take the next step in building community power! Join us next week for the first Memphis Power Training on Wednesday, June 25, from 6:30–8:00PM at First Congo. Sign up here!
Fuel the movement for a brighter future! Make a donation to keep the work for justice and real change in Memphis going strong. Donate now!
From all of us at Stand for Children Tennessee: Happy Juneteenth. Let’s carry the audacity to fight for a brighter future forward.
