Reflections on Juneteenth by an Ally (Brynn Felix)

Words from an electoral politician

This week we celebrate Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. But unlike other holidays that ask us to take pause and remember freedoms hard fought and won, Juneteenth is a continued call to freedom. 

Juneteenth is a mirror that asks us each and every year to look at ourselves and our society.

Our reflection asks us to face the legacies of slavery that remain embedded across our institutions and systems – from our foster care and criminal legal systems where people of color continue to have disproportionate involvement and contact, to housing availability that continues to be impacted by vestiges of redlining and a lack of intergenerational transfer of wealth among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. We must face the stark reality that health care and educational opportunities and outcomes too often are determined by one’s race and zip code. 

It is our moral imperative as allies to learn our shared history, to center Black voices, and to elevate Black leadership and youth. How can we do this? By reading Black authors, by donating to Black-led organizations, by learning about equity and intersectionality, by committing to anti-racism, and by prioritizing progressive action over progressive platitudes.

Together, through our collective power and commitment, we can dismantle these entrenched legacies of slavery and effect meaningful systems transformation. 

In solidarity, and onward toward justice,

Brynn Felix

BIO

Brynn Felix is a candidate for State Representative for the 23rd Legislative District, Position 2. All opinions are hers alone and not that of her employer.

Brynn serves as General Counsel for Peninsula Community Health Services and serves on Washington State’s Access to Justice Board. She began her advocacy career as a civil rights organizer at the ACLU of Washington. In 2018, she served as a Law Clerk for Senator Patty Murray’s team on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions where her passion for community health was ignited. Following law school, she clerked for Justice Mary I. Yu on the Washington Supreme Court. Brynn has also taught Pre-K and kindergarten, elementary and junior high English, and high school percussion. In addition to her law degree, Brynn has a Master's degree in Human Rights from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. She lives in Suquamish with her spouse and two children.