We’re reflecting on this Juneteenth with a look back on decades of beautiful Black marriages because now and always #blacklovematters. Today, we celebrate love and the significance of this holiday (June 19, 1865, also known as Freedom Day), commemorating General Gordon Granger’s reading of federal orders in the city of Galveston, Texas, proclaiming all enslaved were to be free in the state of Texas – almost two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed slaves. It’s an era of time that may seem far from today yet we are only generations removed from it.
We acknowledge how far we’ve come as we reflect on a time when Black marriage wasn’t recognized or legal, yet are reminded how much work we have left to do to take action against inequities Black Americans still face. We lift up and stand in solidarity with the Black community, and we promise to use our voice to influence social change as we work toward ensuring a better and far more just tomorrow.
Read more about our promise to our community. Also, many thanks to @cocktailterrica, @theflowerguybron, @cecedesignsllc and @typebirdcreative for crafting a creed we fully adopt and spearheading #unitythroughcommunity to rid the wedding industry of racism, prejudice and bias.
“Still, despite the reign of terror that slavery spawned and no matter how much it altered and disfigured black marriages, it did not and could not annihilate them—or the love that sustained them. African Americans proved relentlessly creative and resourceful in building marriages and kinship ties that functioned for their survival. We should never lose sight of the depth of feelings and affection that undergirded these relationships and the sacrifices they were willing to make for the sake of preserving them.”
For an in-depth look and understanding of the history of enslaved marriages, read this article from
The History Channel.
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