Washington, D.C.—Church World Service marks Juneteenth, the oldest observed commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, by celebrating Black freedom, resistance, and the active struggle of African Americans for justice. CWS honors the courage and fortitude of African Americans, both in our past and present. It remains dedicated to combating the legacy of slavery, which still manifests in pervasive institutional and systemic racism that bars many from social, political, and economic justice.
To commemorate Juneteenth, Rev. Reuben Eckels, Domestic Policy Advocate at Church World Service, issued the following statement:
“This is a celebration of hard-won freedom, but Juneteenth is also a clarion call for our entire nation to demand justice and equality. This year we saw the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, and while we marked the moment as a step forward in our country, we knew that one verdict would not deliver the accountability African Americans so sorely need.
The institution of slavery may be gone, but the stain of its sin remains. As long as justice and equality are inaccessible to large swaths of our people, Juneteenth must not only be a memorialization, but a mobilization. For far too long persecution and oppression have persisted under the guise of maintaining ‘law and order.’ But when a nation allows the murder of its people and the impoverisation of its families based on race, the people must demand not merely ‘law and order’ but a just law and an equitable order.
From the cop on the beat to the chair of the board, America has allowed impunity, greed, and fear to run our lives for far too long. We must let Juneteenth guide us as we move forward, so the sins of our nation’s past are wiped clean from our future.”
Rick Santos, CEO of CWS, stated, “Church World Service recognizes the intersections of race, oppression and discrimination happening with Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities. We stand with these communities to support the eradication of racism and discrimination and will work across the BIPOC to fight these injustices. To our Black colleagues, partners, and clients, we share your outrage.”
Last year, CWS launched a Platform on Racial Justice in the wake of an alarming rise in deaths of BIPOC Americans at the hands of police. Building on that platform, CWS marks this Juneteenth by additionally encouraging its staff, network, partners and donors to come together to dismantle anti-Blackness and racism. It further pledges to continue to work with Black community leaders and organizations to call on government officials to change laws and policies that perpetuate inequality.
For more information on Church World Service’s Platform on Racial Justice visit CWSGlobal.org.