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Celebrating Juneteenth

Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.

It is a holiday that commemorates the abolition of enslavement in the United States. To learn more about the history of Juneteenth, we encourage you to read more here, provided by The National Museum of African American History and Culture.

At Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, we close our Restore, office, and construction sites on June 18th to remember the significance of Juneteenth. We encourage our Habitat Family to celebrate alongside us.  Celebrate, educate, advocate, and shop in ways that support Black communities in and around Philadelphia this weekend.

Resource Guide:

Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Festival is normally the largest annual celebration in the country to join together to embrace history. You can learn more about Juneteenth’s history and celebration in Philadelphia at juneteenthphilly.org.

Celebrate

Find a parade, festival, or event happening near you.

Educate

There is so much history, learning, and unlearning that needs to take place by non-people of color in our fight for equity. Juneteenth is a holiday that many people are still learning about. Take some time to read history and experiences, non-fiction and fiction books written by Black authors. Or, take a look at Habitat Philadelphia’s Race and Housing page to learn more about why Habitat exists in the first place. The racist history of housing fuel major inequities today.

Advocate

Equitable Housing: Urge your representatives in Congress to prioritize the following housing investments as part of an infrastructure. Click to advocate and support:

  • Co-sponsor the Neighborhood Home Investment Act (S.98): This bipartisan legislation will revive distressed neighborhoods by using federal income tax credits to mobilize private investment to build and substantially rehabilitate homes for low- and moderate-income homeowners.
  • Co-sponsor the Restoring Communities Left Behind Act (H.R. 816): This bipartisan legislation would make $50 billion over 10 years available to local communities through a competitive grant program to help local public-private partnerships rehabilitate homes for affordable homeownership, conduct home repairs to stabilize current owners, preserve affordable rental housing, provide weatherization and improve surrounding neighborhoods. The bill also includes $250 million for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program.

Shop

Support Black business owners on Juneteenth and continue to support them throughout the year. Below are some places Black-owned businesses will be open on Juneteenth, or their online platforms you can shop with year-round.