✊🏽 Is Juneteenth a Form of Reparations?

Brittany Hamm
Jun 22
2 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

We celebrate Juneteenth to honor the day (June 19, 1865) when the last enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas finally found out they were free—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

It’s a day of freedom. Of truth. Of resilience.But some folks ask:

What Even Are Reparations?

Reparations = repair. It’s a way to acknowledge harm done and compensate for it. In our context, reparations refer to the U.S. government (and corporations, banks, universities, etc.) making amends for slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic racism—through real, material means. That could look like:

Financial payments to descendants of enslaved people
Free access to education or housing
Investment in Black communities and land
Policy reform that closes the racial wealth gap

Reparations ain’t just “sorry”—they’re receipts.

🧐 So… Is Juneteenth Reparations?

Short answer? No.

Juneteenth is important. It’s sacred. It’s our history.But it’s not reparations. It’s recognition.

It says, “We see your struggle, your strength, your story.”But it doesn’t come with any material compensation for that story.

It’s like someone finally acknowledging they hurt you—but not offering to pay the medical bill, replace what they broke, or fix what’s been lost.

💰 What Reparations Could Look Like

Let’s imagine a world where:

Black farmers get land that was stolen or promised under 40 acres and a mule.
Schools in Black neighborhoods are fully funded—no more hand-me-down textbooks.
Families impacted by redlining get access to zero-interest home loans.
HBCUs are funded at the same levels as Ivy League schools.
And mental health care is covered for generations of trauma.

That’s reparations.

💡 Juneteenth Can Be a Start…🗣️ What You Can Do:

Talk about reparations—bring it up at school board meetings, town halls, and family cookouts.
Support orgs like , N’COBRA, and Movement for Black Lives.
Ask local leaders where they stand on Black economic justice.
Register to vote, and hold people accountable once they’re in office.

✊🏽 Is Juneteenth a Form of Reparations?

We celebrate Juneteenth to honor the day (June 19, 1865) when the last enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas finally found out they were free—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

It’s a day of freedom. Of truth. Of resilience.But some folks ask:

What Even Are Reparations?

Reparations = repair. It’s a way to acknowledge harm done and compensate for it. In our context, reparations refer to the U.S. government (and corporations, banks, universities, etc.) making amends for slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic racism—through real, material means. That could look like:

🧐 So… Is Juneteenth Reparations?

💰 What Reparations Could Look Like

Let’s imagine a world where:

Black farmers get land that was stolen or promised under 40 acres and a mule.

Schools in Black neighborhoods are fully funded—no more hand-me-down textbooks.

Families impacted by redlining get access to zero-interest home loans.

HBCUs are funded at the same levels as Ivy League schools.

And mental health care is covered for generations of trauma.

💡 Juneteenth Can Be a Start…🗣️ What You Can Do:

Talk about reparations—bring it up at school board meetings, town halls, and family cookouts.

Support orgs like , N’COBRA, and Movement for Black Lives.

Ask local leaders where they stand on Black economic justice.

Register to vote, and hold people accountable once they’re in office.

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