Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day – when 159 years ago Union troops arrived to announce that 250,000 enslaved black people were finally free despite an executive order that had come 900 days earlier. This week, we reflect on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston report from 2015, which reported that the median wealth for white households in Greater Boston was about $250,000 while the median wealth for U.S. Black households in Greater Boston was $8. Home ownership, 79% vs 34%; retirement savings, 56% vs 21%; and life expectancy, 92 years vs 59 years.
At LEAF, we value cooperative ownership. We believe that agency, autonomy, and ownership of the profit of one’s labor are essential. We believe that creating the conditions for household financial stability is a mechanism that creates thriving communities.
This Juneteenth, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting those who have felt the sting of targeted marginalization in the criminal justice system and our economic system. We are reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
- Consider supporting small businesses owned by people who have struggled to get there.
- Consider contributing to organizations engaged in fighting for a better future for all.
