Honoring Juneteenth at Gladstone

Gladstone is honoring Juneteenth by giving employees time off to reflect, engage in a meaningful activity, and educate themselves about this country's history and the current conversations about racism.

On June 19, 1865, Texas announced the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. As the last state to do so, it marked the liberation of enslaved people in the United States after the Civil War.

Juneteenth serves as a celebration of African American achievements and freedom, as well as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to fulfill the promise of freedom made to African Americans in 1865. Gladstone is honoring this day by giving employees time off to reflect, engage in a meaningful activity, and educate themselves about this country's history and the current conversations about racism.

We asked members of the community to share their recommendations of articles, books, movies, and causes that have challenged their thinking and changed their point of view about race and racism.

To Watch

13th, a documentary by Ava Duvernay

Recommended by Jasmine King, Graduate Student, McDevitt Lab

This documentary dives into racial inequalities and the criminalization of African Americans. It challenges your views of modernized slavery and implicit biases within the justice system.

Hidden Colors, a documentary series by Tariq Nasheed

Recommended by Jasmine King, Graduate Student, McDevitt Lab

This critically acclaimed docu-series is by far one of the most educational collections of films that I’ve ever seen. The 5-part series is great because the films are independent with separate themes, however they complement each other very well. The series includes: “The Untold History of People of Aboriginal, Moor, and African Descent,” “The Triumph of Melanin,” “The Rules of Racism,” “The Religion of White Supremacy,” and “The Art of Black Warfare.” I highly recommend watching all of them.

Race and America as Told through the Years on 60 Minutes

Recommended by Victoria Yoon, Research Scientist, Huang Lab

This YouTube playlist has 60 Minutes coverage on racism in America over the years. It’s important to know the history to move forward, and it gave me a renewed appreciation and understanding of the present.

W. Kamau Bell on #BlackLivesMatter & The Importance of Showing your Work

Recommended by Victoria Yoon, Research Scientist, Huang Lab

In this candid discussion, there’s an emphasis on doing the homework (like reading the Malcolm X autobiography) to understand why we are not yet rid of racism in our institutions/society, and to identify tangible next steps to move forward.

The Danger of Acting Now, presentation by Manu Platt

Recommended by Todd McDevitt, Senior Investigator

Manu Platt is a biomedical engineer from Georgia Tech who is passionate and persistent with his diversity efforts and has done more for diversity in the sciences in his career to date than most could achieve in a lifetime. Fortunately for us, he will speak to the Gladstone community July 1, 2020, at 10am via Zoom.

Celebrating Juneteenth

Recommended by Deepak Srivastava, President, Gladstone Institutes

I highly recommend this video tour and talk with Lonnie Burch III, founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, about the history and importance of Juneteenth.

To Read

NY Times: Black History, American Democracy by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Recommended by Jasmine King, Graduate Student, McDevitt Lab

This piece is from The 1619 Project, an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative. This article details the American experience through a Black perspective.

18 Books on Race and White Privilege that will Show You What’s Really Happening in America Right Now

Recommended by Nicole Velasquez, Executive Assistant, Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease

Knowledge is power. Education of what Blacks have been through and the injustices we still face is a stepping stone to understanding and supporting the actions that evoke actual change. This article and the list of books it provides are a great resource to get started on this education.

Learn More about Juneteenth

Recommended by Katie Pollard, PhD, Director of the Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology

Juneteenth has gained significant prominence in the mainstream lately. It’s important to understand the history and significance of this holiday. These are a few articles that I found useful:

To My White Friends, the Time for Talk Has Passed. Now Is the Time for Work. by Brian S. Lowery

Recommended by Katie Pollard, PhD, Director of the Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology

I found this article by Brian S. Lowery, a professor of organizational behavior and senior associate dean for academic affairs at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, to be another excellent resource for learning.

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Honoring Juneteenth at Gladstone