This month marks a remembrance and celebration of
Juneteenth: the commemoration of the announcing of the Emancipation
Proclamation in the state of Texas, announcing that all enslaved African
American persons were freed. Join author Rann Miller as he explores the
history of Black resistance with stories that explore the impetus behind
Juneteenth, as well as other events in our country’s history. All Ages.
Copies of Rann Miller's book, Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids, will be available for purchase on site from Inkwood Books.
Black resistance is the
active work to prevent or subvert ongoing oppression of Black people in a
systemically racist society governed by the tenets of white supremacy, racial
capitalism, and anti-Blackness. Black resistance is a tradition rooted in the
intrinsic human right to determine one’s own destiny in the world. Peoples of
African descent have engaged in such resistance since the unlawful capture of
African people to be enslaved. Examples include individuals like Ona Judge who
escaped from George Washington, African peoples who formed their own
communities after running away from their captors, and the Africans of Haiti
who fought a war against the French to secure their freedom. Black resistance
continues today through Black students protesting the banning of Black history
books for fighting for Black history to be taught in their school. Whether
during enslavement or during the 21st century, Black resistance is a
tradition that links the past to the present in hopes for a brighter future.
Knowledge of Black resistance is essential to understanding Black people played
a role in their own liberation, in addition to properly framing the challenges
of our society—historically—so that we can over come them.