“Freedom is the state or fact of being free from servitude, constraint, inhibition, etc.; liberty.”
—Oxford English DictionarySalutations to all intrepid Pathfinders and Starfinders!
he Paizo offices are closed today, June 19th, to pay respects to a crucial day in African American history. Many of you may have associated America’s criminalization of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation, and this would be partly true. The painful and more devastating truth is that after January 1st, 1863, for 901 more days, thousands of slaves remained in bondage, most completely unaware that these changes were happening mere miles away from them. News regarding the end of the Civil War was intentionally blocked from entering Confederate states, and the slaves in those states were not informed of their freedom until Major Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Texas on June 19th, 1865. That day, colloquially known as Juneteenth, marked the true end to slavery in America and the beginning of a new life for every African and African American on this soil. Although we and other marginalized groups like ours still show resilience daily in our uphill battle for civil rights, we celebrate Juneteenth as one step among many towards true equal rights and equal opportunity.
Juneteenth is more than just an automated notification on your calendar. It’s more than just a portmanteau created and maintained in a culture of resistance. Juneteenth means freedom.
A great way to show solidarity and to support Juneteenth and our community is by donating time, money, or other resources to a black-focused organization. Here are the ones we recommend:
To learn more about Juneteenth and why we celebrate it, check out Juneteenth.com.
As a black employee here at Paizo, I’m honored to have the opportunity to educate our space about this significant moment in history that often goes unnoticed.
Thank you and Happy Gaming!
Maya Coleman (xe/xem/they/them)
Community and Social Media Specialist
Read more at this site