On June 19, 1865 Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved black Americans were now free. You should note that this liberation occurred two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation — which had become official January 1, 1863. Today, Americans refer to Juneteenth as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and/or Cel-Liberation Day and it has become the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

As we reflect back on the last few weeks and the conversations about racism in America, I’d like to take a minute to celebrate the black community. There is still so much work to do in order to eliminate racist systems and replace them with anti-racist systems. Developing new policies and procedures, training employees on unconscious bias, nurturing leaders of color, and having continuous and mediated conversations are just a few areas I’ve identified. As we all sift through what we do next, I share with you all one of my favorite poems of encouragement by the famous writer Countee Cullen. May it encourage anyone who like myself is striving to learn what we must learn, to do what we must do so that our nation can be what we want it to be.

“Hey, Black Child” by Countee Cullen

Hey Black Child
Do you know who you are
Who you really are
Do you know you can be
What you want to be
If you try to be
What you can be

Hey Black Child
Do you know where you are going
Where you’re really going
Do you know you can learn
What you want to learn
If you try to learn
What you can learn

Hey Black Child
Do you know you are strong
I mean really strong
Do you know you can do
What you want to do
If you try to do
What you can do

Hey Black Child
Be what you can be
Learn what you must learn
Do what you can do
And tomorrow your nation
Will be what you want it to be