by Dr. LaShawnDa Pittman

(The following is an edited transcript of the keynote address for the University of Washington’s 2020 Black Graduation given 6/20/20. A recording of the address can be seen here)

On the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, I want to talk to you, the class of 2020, about Black Liberation.

Juneteenth is an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

June 19 has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s.

It’s referred to as Black Independence Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Cel-Liberation.

In a society where Black lives don’t matter what it means for us to get free means something fundamentally different than it does for our white neighbors and loved ones. Continue reading “Black Graduates, Your Generation Can Complete Our Liberation” →