The celebration of Juneteenth is a recognition of the resiliency of the Black Community and an honoring of the sacrifices made by the ancestors of Black Americans. During this period of renewed movement for Black Lives, Juneteenth is a day that will remind us that we still have work to do, that America will never truly be free until all lives, especially the lives of Black folks, are valued, validated, and loved.

Juneteenth is the celebration of the ending of systematic slavery in the United States. It was on January 1, 1863, two years into the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect freeing all slaves in any slave holding state. This proclamation was most effective for areas in the South with strong Union influence. It took much longer for Confederate-heavy states to honor the proclamation. Texas was one of these states. It wasn’t until June 19th 1865, two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that Union Major General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas to declare that the war was over, the Union had won, and that slavery was now illegal. The last slaves remaining in the area celebrated their freedom and began the long road of building a life beyond slavery. The day eventually became known as Juneteenth and regarded as Independence Day for American people of African and slave descent.

Join Kashi Atlanta Ashram and Bhumisparsha for a day of events celebrating Juneteenth by continuing to practice spiritual liberation while we continue working towards social liberation. Each event will be led by Black teachers from the Kashi and Bhumisparsha communities. All events are open to everyone unless otherwise stated. The day will culminate in with an evening panel followed by a sacred feast practice and dance party.

Schedule

No need to register in advance — just join in!

In this opening fire ceremony, join Lama Rod as he offers to the local deities and summons the ancestors to join us in this day of celebration. Though this is optional, you may have a stick of incense ready to light to join in the practice.

This class will be centered around releasing constriction and tension in the body, emphasizing breathing and meditation as tools to help cope and ground us during these times of unrest and injustices towards people of color.

Join the Bhumisparsha community for our weekday practice session. For the first 30 mins, participants engage in their own individual practice. During the second 30 mins, participants break into small groups for checkins and discussions organized by the facilitator.

Providing a safe haven and create opportunities for Black yogis to explore, discover, grow and express the beauty, fullness and richness of our Blackness in its many shades and hues. We advocate for the education and representation of yogis of all color, especially Black and Brown-skinned yogis. Our goal is to gather together, invite and welcome people of all color, with a focus on our Black and Brown-skinned communities and yogis, into Kashi to explore various yoga-related interests wherever they may lead us.

In this session, participants will engage in guided meditation practice.

Stillness, quiet, repose and support are the hallmarks of Restorative Yoga. These tools also create a foundation and a space for us to speak our heartfelt truth, listen deeply in a spirit of support, and finally to integrate the information. Join this gathering of satsang (the company of truth) to cultivate stillness through Restorative Yoga practice.

For an optimal experience it will be helpful to have: two to three blankets, a wash cloth, two bed pillows (an additional body pillow would be great), one or two towels and two blocks or block-like items, and a chair.

In this session, people of African descent will engage in practices and discussion related to ancestors and self-care.

In this session, people of non-African descent will deepen our commitment to being actively anti-racist. Through self-reflection and discussion, we will examine how to more courageously support inclusive and spiritual spaces and to identify concrete action steps to promote anti-racism. Please bring some means of note taking to the conversation.

In this session, join with other participants sharing poetry related to Black liberation. Participants are encouraged to select and offer poetry related to the theme.

Talking Black Liberation: Exploring Both Social and Ultimate Liberation in a Black Body.

We are now experiencing a renewed period of movement for Black Lives sparked by the continued reality of systematic racism expressed through many ways, especially as police brutality. While social liberation is important, how can we also continue our practice for ultimate liberation? As people of African descent, how do we begin to bridge both our need for social liberation with our desire for ultimate liberation? In this panel, we will explore the meaning of Black liberation and how we might bridge our social liberation work with our spiritual liberation work.

In this discussion, panelists will explore:

  • The meaning of liberation
  • How Blackness informs spiritual practice and practice for ultimate liberation
  • How Black liberation struggle frees not only Black folks but all people
  • How spiritual practice can disrupt systematic racism
  • How social activism and spiritual practice can inform each other

In this Buddhist Tantric ceremony, participants will celebrate a tantric feast. Each participant is asked to have a small amount of snack food and a beverage to offer in the ceremony. The practice will be guided.

The day will close with a virtual dance party.

To really understand the significance of Juneteenth, it is important to study documents related to the celebration as well as other media that helps us to understand the relevance of this day for Black Americans of slave descent as well as for the United States.

Reading

Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson is also known as the Negro National Anthem, a song sang in Black Churches most often during the Dr. King’s Memorial Birthday Weekend and national holiday and also during Black History Month

Viewing

Why is Juneteenth important for America?

Juneteenth celebrates freedom from slavery in US

What is Juneteenth?