Celebrating Juneteenth

Published: May 11, 2023
Updated: September 24, 2025

Juneteenth marks the end of slavery back in 1865, yet Black Americans are still facing many injustices, including environmental injustices, that white people are not. For example, hazardous waste sites, landfills, and industrial facilities are often located in or near Black communities, which can lead to higher rates of pollution, health problems, and environmental degradation. Additionally, Black communities often have less access to green spaces, healthy food options, and other environmental resources.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to recognize the connections between environmentalism and racial justice. Environmental justice seeks to address the unequal distribution of environmental harms and benefits and promotes a more equitable and sustainable future for all people and the planet.

Overall, Juneteenth and environmentalism may seem like unrelated concepts, but they both represent movements towards greater justice and equity, and recognizing the connections between them can help us work towards a more just and sustainable future.

While Juneteenth is about acknowledging the past and the work that has yet to be done, it’s also about celebrating Black culture, accomplishments, and freedom by reading, listening, and supporting our Black community.

Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth:

Juneteenth is a time to learn, reflect, and understand how we can show up for Black communities. Here are some ways to do just that:

Listen to a podcast

• How to Save a Planet: Hosted by journalist Alex Blumberg and scientist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, this podcast tackles climate issues through an intersectional lens, breaking down related scientific concepts to make them digestible and accessible to people of all backgrounds.

• Stories from Home: Living the Just Transition: Host Keenan Rhodes explores what frontline communities imagine climate change solutions to look like through an intersectional lens of art, culture, and social justice.

• Living Downstream: The Environmental Justice Podcast: This podcast highlights environmental injustices taking place across the United States and around the world as the people experiencing them firsthand share their stories with host Steve Mencher.

Follow informative social accounts:

• Intersectional Environmentalist
• Climate In Colour
• Mikaela Loach

Get involved in local organizations:
Climate Justice Alliance​: An alliance of 70+ urban and rural frontline communities, organizations and supporting networks in the climate justice movement located in Berkely, CA. Focus is on the social, racial, economic and environmental justice issues of climate change.

Environmental Defense Fund : The Environmental Defense Fund brings together scientists, lawyers, and other experts to work on solving environmental challenges.

Greenpeace Environmental Justice Campaign: Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions.