Chamber recognizes Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day

Kansas City, Missouri | Friday, June 19, 2020 – Today is recognized as Junteenth, or Freedom Day, the anniversary of the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the United States on June 19^th, 1865. This year, Juneteenth comes at a time when issues of racial disparity and inequality are being protested in the streets and discussed in nearly every home and government office across the country. Current affairs demonstrate that racial injustice is still a pervasive and terrifying issue, especially for African Americans. Communities of color suffer from disparities in healthcare, education, housing, and economic opportunity, but they are also victims of unjustified police violence and disproportional punishment within our justice system.

In our community, we know that people of color face an overwhelming intersection of racism, genderism, and sexism on a daily basis – this especially being true for black transgender women who are being killed at an alarming rate. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we stand up with our members and in our communities to demand policy changes for policing, sentencing, and prison reform, as well as healthcare, housing, education, and economic opportunity.

As a minority chamber of commerce, we believe in advocating for equity, inclusion, and change through economics. We challenge our members to actively support businesses, candidates, and institutions that are using their influence to make changes to policing policies and criminal justice reform. We challenge our members to look at their places of work and the demographics of their customers to understand how to make your business more accessible to people of color. Most of all, we challenge our members to listen to people of color, trust their experience, and find new ways to use their influence to make our community a more open, diverse, and equitable space for all.

The Chamber is honored to be a trusted minority partner of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City and the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce and proud to use our platform to recognize Junteenth and advocate for #BlackLivesMatter.