The do’s and don’ts of Juneteenth

Juneteenth recognizes the day the last enslaved Africans were freed in Texas in 1865—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law. 

Observed on June 19th, the day was brought to the consciousness of many outside of the Black community in the heat of last summer’s racial awakening. Afterwards came brand promises, donations, alignments, and campaigns that attempted to resonate with the Black community in new—often performative—ways. 

Before jumping into storytelling mode, brands and marketers need to evaluate if they are in a position to educate on this topic. 

This year, President Biden signed a bill that made Juneteenth an official holiday. While this is an important first step towards recognition and understanding, there is still much work to be done. It is critical that this holiday does not become just another three-day weekend, but rather a day that is on every calendar, impossible to ignore or forget, and observed as an informed commemoration of a significant moment of American history, not just Black history.

Because Juneteenth is new to so many, this is a great opportunity for brands, agencies, and organizations to authentically build relational bridges with Black consumers. But in order to do that, they must first bridge the gap between themselves and the communities they’re trying to reach by increasing their own understanding and empowering Black creatives to lead the way. I would love to see more engagement of the Black community, but it has to be done right.

If you find your brand or business needing guidance on how to navigate Juneteenth, here are some quick do’s and don'ts. 

DON’T produce what you don’t know—or what you aren’t.

Before jumping into storytelling mode, brands and marketers need to evaluate if they are in a position to educate on this topic. 

I’m here to make it easy for you: if you’re not Black, this is not your story to tell. 

However, there are countless brilliant Black minds and creatives that can be hired to leverage their lived experiences into meaningful storytelling and education. This is where you have the opportunity to build bridges. Humbly forge connections and empower Black talent within your own organization before you try to do so externally with consumers. 

If a brand wants to wish consumers a happy Juneteenth, they need to be prepared to tell the story and remind people why it is a holiday. 

Without Black creatives leading the way, you will likely only perpetuate white-washed narratives and strategy within the ad industry that has, for so long, devalued diversity of thought and the experience of Black talent, while appropriating their culture. If there is no Black talent on the team, consider why that is and with what authority you are producing creative work about the Black experience. If there is Black talent on the team, empower, collaborate, and believe them when they tell you about their experience. Otherwise you risk a disaster on par with Pepsi’s infamous Kendall Jenner ad.

DON’T sell.

Brands should never use Juneteenth as an opportunity to sell. Period. Even if all the proceeds go to a non-profit organization (the philanthropy space is plagued by white savior complexes and systemic racism — check out Winner Takes All by Anand Giridharadas for more on that), even if you hired a Black designer, it doesn’t matter. Stop trying to profit off marginalized communities, especially if you’ve never cared to speak to them before. Put in the work before you decide on a marketing campaign or branded product that, if we’re being honest, may just be an opportunist attempt to profit off the remembrance of another community's pain. 

After so many years of Black history and Black experiences being ignored and silenced, [this recognition] represents a necessary step forward for our country.

Rather than commercializing an anniversary of liberation, use those good intentions inward and work to actively decolonize your workspace by inserting Black talent and creativity into your company’s spaces, processes, and structures. Racism and white supremacy permeate the ad industry, and a Juneteenth collectible item is not the progressive wink to the Black community that brands might think it is. 

DO tell stories.

Don’t get me wrong, more messaging and visibility for Juneteenth is a good thing—if it’s appropriate. If you are in a position to create external messaging around Juneteenth, meaning that you are Black, or have a history of engaging or celebrating the Black community—remember that it is a day that commemorates Black freedom and that the story deserves to be told in its entirety with nuance, respect, and historical accuracy. 

 Humbly forge connections and empower Black talent within your own organization before you try to do so externally with consumers. 

If a brand wants to wish consumers a happy Juneteenth, they need to be prepared to tell the story and remind people why it is a holiday.  PBS offers a number of great documentary videos and discussions about Juneteenth that would be a good educational starting point for anyone interested in helping their company tell stories with respect.

An important thing to remember when creating this kind of storytelling content for a particular community is that the content should not be about the brand. The story is not about how any individual company is engaging with the Black community. Rather, it’s about the community itself.