By Michelle Merriweather, President & CEO, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
It started with a question—an honest one, asked in a meeting: “How should we commemorate Juneteenth in 2026, when the world will be watching Seattle during the FIFA World Cup?”
I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
For many of us, Juneteenth has always been a celebration. A moment of deep joy, resilience, community, and pride. We honor the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas finally received news of their freedom—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
That delay in justice? It was the first of many in this country’s long history with Black liberation. And still—we gather, we dance, we praise, we cook out, we sing. Because joy itself is a form of resistance.
But as we prepare for what’s coming in 2026—when millions of people from around the globe will descend on Seattle, and billions more will be watching—we must ask ourselves: What exactly will they see?
Because in 2026, on Juneteenth, Seattle will host a FIFA World Cup match—the biggest sporting event in the world. To put it in perspective: a single World Cup match draws more than three times the viewership of the Super Bowl. And now, exactly one year from today, the eyes of the world will be on our city.
We’re not just talking about local attention. We’re talking about a global spotlight—a rare chance for the world to witness who we are, what we stand for, and how we honor Black freedom in America.
Will they see Black joy and not know the struggle behind it?
Will they sip a themed cocktail at a Juneteenth pop-up party and call it equity?
Will they be educated or entertained?
Will they hear our story, or just hear the music?
And a deeper question still: Should Juneteenth only be a celebration while this country still doesn’t fully see us?
Can we hold joy in one hand and justice in the other?
This is the tension we must hold as Juneteenth is now a national holiday and now, a global moment. That in our joy, we also must be honest. While we learn the latest line dance, we also teach. That in our commemorations, we call for transformation.
To their credit, FIFA Seattle has formed a Juneteenth Advisory Committee to ask community members how this moment should be honored. It’s a rare and meaningful opportunity to get it right—if we’re brave enough to tell the truth and bold enough to act on it. Because let’s be clear: Juneteenth is not just a celebration of the end of slavery. It is a symbol of delayed justice—and a reminder that freedom delayed is still freedom denied. And we are still being denied.
We are still fighting for voting rights, for economic opportunity, for safe housing, for bodily autonomy, for Black lives to matter without an asterisk. We are still being asked to prove our humanity in systems designed to profit from our pain.
So yes, we celebrate. And we must. Black joy is sacred.
But it must also be a time of truth-telling. Of remembering. Of reckoning.
I am writing this from Germany, where I’ve been traveling with regional leaders to learn how other countries reckon with difficult history—and how they present themselves to the world.
Germany doesn’t hide from its past. The truth of its history is taught openly—in schools, in museums, even embedded into city sidewalks. It is uncomfortable, intentional, and
necessary. They don’t celebrate the fall of Nazism with parades—they mark it with reflection, responsibility, and a commitment to never forget.
But they also understand how to share their story with the world on their own terms. During the UEFA Euro 2024 Draw in Hamburg, where Germany unveiled vibrant “fan containers” and public art installations that blended national pride with cultural invitation. It wasn’t just a tournament—it was a curated, thoughtful experience. They showed how a country can both honor who they are and showcase its present with authenticity.
We could learn something from that, too.
In Washington State, we are beginning to reckon with our own past. Investments like the Community Reinvestment Account—which directs funding into the communities most harmed by the War on Drugs—and the Housing Covenant Program, which provides down payment assistance to descendants of Black Washingtonians displaced by racist housing policies, are steps toward collective atonement. These are not handouts. They are history being made whole.
And we must continue. Through arts and culture, we preserve the stories others tried to erase. Through Black-owned businesses, we build the generational wealth that was once
legally denied. Through public education, we ensure future generations know the full truth—and are not afraid of it.
Let Juneteenth be our reminder—and our responsibility.
Let it be a day when we invest in Black futures, not just buy the T-shirt. A day when we honor those who fought and still fight for liberation.
A day when we teach the truth of our history—not just in textbooks, but in policy, in culture, in action.
Let it be a day of joy, rooted in justice. A celebration that tells the whole story.
As Seattle prepares for the world stage, may we rise to meet that moment—not just with banners and fireworks, but with the dignity, depth, and clarity that our ancestors earned and our children deserve.
If we’re going to tell the truth, let’s tell the whole truth.
And if we’re going to celebrate freedom, let’s never forget the fight it took to get there.
