Member-only story
WEOC JUNETEENTH HAIKU CHALLENGE
Poetry Celebrating Black Freedom
12 haikus written by Writers and Editors of Color
To commemorate the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, Writers, and Editors of Color issued a Haiku Challenge. The following haikus, written by some of your favorite writers. Now that Juneteenth is an official federal holiday, America will have to reflect each year on the chattel slavery system.
Clearly, Black people are legally free. Yet, they still experience personal and systemic racism. Inequities deprive Black people of opportunities often making the pursuit of happiness an uphill battle.
Today, we rejoiced in the freedoms we have gained thus far. However, I wonder what the future may hold. Surely, in another 155 years, Black people would have made much more progress. Before pressing ahead, let’s take a moment to reflect and rejoice. Without further ado, enjoy some haikus written by our WEOC crew.
