Juneteenth

I started recording a video with the thought that society makes me so angry, and I wish people could see all the wrong that is happening.

(Video posted to my Instagram on 6/19/25 @ authorarielpierce)

The fact is, people can see it.

I didn’t have a script planned out when I started the video, I just started talking. I cut it off because I realized I said what I needed to say.

People in my community growing up didn’t prioritize Black history. People in my community growing up didn’t care about Black people. I was taught to not be mean to Black people but to definitely not date/marry them because life would be hard for me and any children that might come from that relationship.

I said what I said in my video without fully knowing the wording in which it would come out. “Nobody’s looking.” That’s the reality of my childhood. No one I knew was out in my community building connections to Black people, no one was out trying to learn and understand Black history, no one cared about how Black people were treated in history, how they were treated at that time, or how they might be treated in the future.

Honestly, I live back in that same community now as a 32 year old with a Black child. I’d be hard pressed to say that things have changed.

I get angry about the government daily. I get angry about how people truly think President Trump is making good choices. I get angry everyday thinking that people don’t see all the racism rampant in our society.

The reality is, they see it. They know it’s out there. They just don’t care. And let me be clear, when I say they, I mean White people.

White people are perfectly happy feigning ignorance. They’re perfectly happy justifying their actions behind their twisted interpretations of biblical scripture. They’re not voting the way that prioritizes the wellbeing of humans in general because they don’t care.

I see video after video of people explaining, with research and evidence, all the reasons the political climate is racist and just plain evil, and White people don’t care.

If something makes a White person uncomfortable, they’re going to avoid it. They’re going to pretend it doesn’t exist. They’re going to call the people making them uncomfortable the problem instead of taking accountability.

It wouldn’t matter if my video went into the history of Juneteenth. It wouldn’t matter if my video explained all the terrible things people have said and done to harm Black people. It wouldn’t matter to the White people in my community if my video went into detail about the things people have said about my Black child or his Black father.

White people will find a way to justify their actions because they don’t care what happens to others. If they did, they’d prove it. If they did, They wouldn’t stay silent. If they did, their circles wouldn’t only be filled with people that look like them. If they did, they wouldn’t be trying to prevent Black history from being taught. If they did, they’d vote for people advocating for change and actually supporting Black people.

I end the video saying that I’m failing my child. I am. The fact that I didn’t know what Juneteenth was until a month before I found out I was pregnant is embarrassing. I have so much more work to do regarding parenting a Black child. The fact that I don’t know Black history the way that my Black child deserves is unfair to my child.

I don’t want to post videos begging for people to see the evil. I’m not even going to try. I know that White people see it. I’m not going to beg people to care when it shouldn’t require begging to be a decent human.

Black history is important and I wanted that to be clear on my platform. Trying to pretend like slavery didn’t happen or that racism is long gone is pathetic and cruel. No matter how much this political administration tries, you cannot erase Black history. If you voted for this monster, you’re complacent in what is happening and if that statement makes you uncomfortable, good.