Reflections on Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth - a celebration of the end of chattel slavery in the US.

With the power of hindsight, we are able to neatly summarize the day that slavery ended - June 19, 1865.

In real time, things are murkier - it’s difficult to know what era of history we are living through while we are living it.

The work of ending slavery began decades earlier with the abolitionist movement - and the work toward freedom continues today with the fight against systemic poverty and mass incarceration. It was a long fight - and it goes on.

This year, we are fighting in our own small way against the injustice of poverty - planting 10 million trees to support 1000 new farmers. When we hit the goal, we will mark the day with ribbon cuttings and celebrations, photographs and speeches.

But the real work of planting those trees started years ago - with organizing to create our regenerative community farm and with farmers preparing the soil. The real work will continue as we maintain those trees - giving them water and nutrients, replanting the ones that die.   

When I am impatient for these trees to grow and for targets to be met, I find myself drawn to the wisdom of behind-the-scenes civil rights activist Ella Baker. She said of church organizing meetings, they are often “more exhausting than the immediate returns seem to warrant, but it’s a part of the spadework.”

The spadework. 

It’s not all decisive victory dates. It’s boring meetings and strategy sessions. It’s listening deeply and thinking slow. It’s (in Ella’s words again) reaching out to “your neighbors who don’t speak to you.”

Today, in honor of Juneteenth and in the spirit of collective freedom, we are donating 20% of sales to organizations doing that spadework - the consistent, tireless effort of fighting injustice by building and growing in community.

We have chosen three organizations continuing the long fight for freedom:

Essie Justice Group - harnesses the collective power of women with incarcerated loved ones to end mass incarceration's harm to women and communities

The Bridge Fund - started by a former True Moringa employee Emmanuel Afoakwah to create community and raise funds for Ghanaian students seeking higher education

True Farmer - True Moringa’s sister non-profit, dedicated to supporting women & family farmers in Ghana with organic seeds and fertilizer, agronomy training, and building community power through Village Savings & Loan Association.