It would be hard to overstate the importance of the upcoming Juneteenth holiday (June 19). It is open season on Black people, Black history, Black culture, and Black joy. Names of civil rights heroes are being removed from military ships and federal landmarks. Black federal workers are being terrorized by a racist purge led by the new Grand Wizard in the White House.

This all-out attack on our Blackness provides the necessary context to consider how to celebrate Juneteenth in 2025. It's not simply a day off or a day to fire up the grill and enjoy some good food with family and friends. It is a day to reckon with the hard truth that freedom ain't free and each generation must fight like hell to keep it.

CBTU is committed to not only remembering the last 250,000 enslaved Black people who were freed in Texas on June 19, 1865, we are, more importantly, committed to doing the work of protecting our people and our freedoms. That was the mission of our founders, and it guides our work today -- no matter what evil or hate or greed stand in our way. So, please proudly display and share the attached CBTU Juneteenth graphics. Show that you will still fight for our freedom and rejoice in the unbreakable spirit of Black joy.

-Rev. President Terrence L. Melvin