Show up for Juneteenth with XR NYC

This Juneteeth (Friday, 6/19) will commemorate the effective end of slavery in the US. It's a day to honor Black liberation and affirm our commitment to fighting for justice. This Juneteenth is a unique opportunity to build on the momentum of the past few weeks and keep the pressure on. Join Extinction Rebellion NYC in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and the Black Lives Matter movement as we take to the streets for Juneteenth. 

We have arranged XR NYC meet up points for the following events so rebels can easily find each other. We will be providing basic know your rights information for safe, effective protesting at each meet up point. 

Friday 6/19

Manhattan:
Juneteenth March at City Hall
1:30 PM at City Hall
XR Meet Up: 1:00 PM at Foley Square for meditation with Mindful Rebels to be followed by march (map)

Seneca Village March
2 PM at Central Park West and 85th St.
XR Meet Up: 1:45 PM NE Corner of CPW and West 84th St. (map)

Brooklyn:
Juneteenth Jam
3 PM at 300 Ashland Place
XR Meet Up: 2:30 PM in front of Rockwell Place Bears community garden (map)

Queens:
Woodside March
8:30 PM at St. Michael’s playground
XR Meet Up: 8:15 PM at south entrance of the playground (map)

Saturday 6/20

Manhattan:
Celebration of Black Life
3 PM at Foley Square
Wear red or white and bring flowers
XR Meet Up: 2:30 PM at southeast corner of Collect Pond Park (map)

Check the XR NYC social platforms and the keybase #Announcements channel for any day-of updates.

These are just a few of the many protests, vigils, and marches planned for the weekend in the city and across the country and we encourage you to participate in whichever event best fits your interest and location. Visit sixnineteen.com for more events and other ways to support the Movement for Black Lives. There are also tons of events across all five boroughs posted regularly on Instagram by @justiceforgeorgenyc.

Reminders:

  • Please remember to keep yourself and others safe while protesting. As always, we are explicitly nonviolent.

  • Read the M4BL protocols for public health and harm reduction. 

  • Wear a mask!

  • Review the Know Your Rights materials before you go. 

  • For security, consider leaving your phone at home. This is the most minimal and immediate digital self-protection you can do.

  • Sign up for the 6/18 Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA) training if you haven’t yet attended one.

  • Jail support information can be found on the #Jail-Court-Support keybase channel.

We ask that you refrain from bringing large XR flags or signs with climate-only messaging to keep the focus on the demands of Movement for Black Lives and other Black organizers. But we also want organizers to know that we stand with them in solidarity, so we encourage wearing XR shirts, pins, or other small XR branded items. This will also help facilitate meet ups.

NOW is the time for the climate movement to mobilize, to show up with courage and trust in the leadership of Black-led movements.

When we align our forces, we prove to the world that people have power. Extinction Rebellion, a movement committed to mass mobilization as a pathway to change, stands beside Movement for Black Lives. We must mobilize to achieve a just and sustainable world. As stated in our 4th Demand, fighting racism is NOT a secondary priority for XR NYC - it is the priority. When we envision the future we want, it must include a just and livable world for Black and Brown communities - otherwise it is not a world we want to live in. Racism is real - it's killing marginalized communities - and it's killing the planet.

White supremacy and capitalism are the water we swim in - the air we breathe. Two thirds of Americans agree that police violence is systemic. To build a new system that is regenerative and just will take all of us working together. Nothing short of a structural revolution is needed now. 

We’ll see you in the streets!

announcementLaura Cole