Commemorating a Soulful Holiday, Juneteenth

“Revolution is not a one-time event.” - Audre Lorde

“SOULBOOK is dedicated to all our Black Ancestors who have made it possible for us to exist and work for a LOVE SUPREME of BLACK PEOPLE.” (SOULBOOK, 1970)

This Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the freedom of enslaved Africans as a result of a community in Galveston (Texas on June 19, 1865) receiving news of slavery being abolished, two and a half years following US President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, we find ourselves questioning the reality of freedom in the 21st century. With ongoing incidents of police brutality, murder, white supremacists slurs and attitudes aired before our eyes, we are revisiting memories of our past. A past illustrated with explosive and painful events that include massacres like Black Wall Street in Oklahoma (May 31, 1921) or the LA riots following the brutal beating of Rodney King by police (March 3, 1991) comes to mind.

Our DNA is reacting to the same trauma that resulted from oppressive institutional and systematic policies like Jim Crow, Red Lining and Mass Incarceration. Many of us inundated with sadness find ourselves saying that “nothing has changed”. When we receive reports of the brutal deaths of African-Americans like Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmed Aubrey and George Floyd by the hands of white supremacy, we are now facing the reality that our historical struggle includes not only the right to vote, the right to bear arms, the right of free speech or the ongoing quest to have a seat at the table, we are consistently fighting for the right to breathe. Needless to say, we find ourselves living in a time full of pain, unrest and anger along with an acknowledgement that we have been here before.

While memories of the past are currently igniting a fire of rage during the current time of turbulence, we are also finding therapy and treatment turning to the past that provides us with the truth of our legacy of resistance and strength; ultimately bringing us inspiration and hopefully closer to a cure to our feelings and realities ridden with oppression and struggle. As a child of a fervent revolutionary, I have turned to my family’s archives and found solace and comfort in reading SOULBOOK, “The Revolutionary Journal of the Black World”.

SOULBOOK was developed in 1964 by my father (editor-in-chief), Mamadou Lumumba-Umoja (born Ken Freeman), to provide a voice for Black revolutionaries. During a time when protest was common and necessary, as a result of blatant racism and oppression as well as the murder of leaders like Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., it was apparent that protest wasn’t enough. Focused on the liberation of Black people world-wide, SOULBOOK was not interested in being granted a seat at the table. SOULBOOK built a table and provided a platform for Black artists and intellectuals of its time. It provided an opportunity to say what popular media wouldn’t, published work by talented Black artists whom wouldn’t be published otherwise and gave a voice to those who were told that their voice didn’t matter.

With amazing talent like Sonia Sanchez and Amiri Baraka gracing its pages, SOULBOOK aimed to enlighten, educate, encourage and empower the Black community in the 60’s and 70’s. While viewed as a critical force of its time, and currently archived and available for viewing in the Library of Congress in Washington DC, SOULBOOK is not widely known. Although this gem represents the voices of many who have fought and continue to fight oppressive constructs, systems and institutions that negatively impact Black people, many (especially those born after the Black Power Movement) have no knowledge of it. With this said, September Set is happy to bring SOULBOOK to light because it is another tool that can contribute to our cure during this time of grief and despair due to heightened racial tension. It is incredibly important for us to understand and feel that our struggle in resistance isn’t a journey that we walk alone.

Incredibly proud to acknowledge that this platform falls in line with a long tradition of creatives and intellectuals passionate about using their voices to support each other, by providing content that will uplift and inspire; September Set is committed to providing honest and thought-provoking information to enlighten, educate, encourage and empower. In the spirit of unity, creativity and self-determination, September Set looks forward to continuing to amplify our voices as Black artists and intellectuals, and will continue to share voices of the past and present with the hopes of securing a healthy and sound future. To pay tribute to the untold significance of SOULBOOK, September Set not only plans to share content from original SOULBOOK editions but will invite you to submit your work for consideration to be shared on this platform in the future. When the current protests subside, the revolution will continue and September Set will be here to make sure that our voices continue to be amplified.

“Every crisis, actual or impending, needs to be viewed as an opportunity to bring about profound changes in our society. Going beyond protest organizing, visionary organizing begins by creating images and stories of the future that help us imagine and create alternatives to the existing system.” (Grace Lee Boggs)

Happy Juneteenth!

The Reject Notes, column in SOULBOOK, proudly featured work from talented Black artists of the 1960s and 1970s.

If you’re interested in submitting work of artistic and/or intellectual expression for September Set’s consideration, feel free to make an inquiry via email, septemberset0@gmail.com