Commemorating Juneteenth

To commemorate Juneteenth, the day the last remaining enslaved African Americans were emancipated in 1865, we reflect on the grave injustices of the past and reaffirm our commitment to strive towards a more equitable future.

Upstate Forever is working to do a better job serving the Upstate's Black community by listening with humility, learning from experts, and reducing bias and inequity in our organizational goals and policies. We still have a long way to go, but we will keep at it, and appreciate the opportunity to improve and grow in this way.

In the spirit of reflection and education, we are sharing some links to recent resources and conversations about environmental justice, systemic discrimination, and land use issues that disproportionately affect the Black Community. We hope you will take some time to look at them if you haven't already.

READ

• Our article The reality of Black land loss
   
• Wounds & Wildness, a conversation with authors John Lane and Drew Lanham

WATCH

• Erasing the Redline, the recording of a panel discussion about environmental justice issues in the Upstate
   
• Racial justice and "The Color of Law" Part 1: Introduction and discussion with author Richard Rothstein
• Racial justice and "The Color of Law" Part 2: Q&A