Unbound: A Juneteenth Reflection on Vision and Freedom

Cultivating a Liberated Future

Author

LaShauna Austria
June 15, 2025

Breaking the chains, tending the seed, and cultivating a liberated future.

Too often, we find ourselves navigating a world that, despite its advancements, can still feel profoundly confining. Yet, amidst these challenges, the stirring message of Manifesting the Vision cuts through with remarkable clarity: though we may sometimes feel caged, our spirits remain inherently unbound. As we approach Juneteenth, a pivotal moment of remembrance and celebration marking the liberation of enslaved people, we are called to reflect on this enduring quest for freedom. This newsletter will delve into the poem's potent wisdom, inviting you to discover how embracing our edgeless spirit and actively nurturing a shared vision serves as a powerful catalyst. It empowers us to confront and dismantle the vestiges of the modern day plantation (those systems and ideologies that perpetuate inequality) and to actively participate in building a truly equitable and free future for generations to come.

The Illusion of Chains: Understanding Modern Day Plantations

In "American Politics Only Pretends to Work," J. Dylan Sandifer explores the widespread sentiment that something is amiss in America, delving into the illusion of political change. The article suggests that institutional processes frequently serve to uphold the status quo rather than driving genuine progress. It cites Maryland Governor Wes Moore's veto of a reparations bill as a prime illustration, contending that this act challenges a continuous pattern of studies and discussions that ultimately circumvent tangible action.

American Politics Only Pretends to Work

The most underappreciated obstacle to political change is the dreary doom loop of institutional process that only bolsters a broken status quo.

The Edgeless Spirit: Cultivating Inner Freedom

This article delves into the profound power of Black joy and resilience as expressed through music and dance. It illustrates how these art forms have consistently served as sources of solace, resistance, hope, and cultural celebration for Black communities, from the colonial era right up to the present day. The piece further explores the evolution of Black joy across various music genres and dance styles, and how its vibrant influence continues to shape global popular culture.

The Unimaginable Power of Black Joy: Resilience Through Music and Dance - Decolonial City Tour

During the colonial era, enslaved Africans found profound solace in spirituals such as "Wade in the Water" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". These songs were not merely melodies but lifelines-expressions of hope, determination, and the pursuit of joy amidst unspeakable adversity.

Planting the Vision Seed: Collective Action and Growth

Vision Seed Starter Kit

Dear Beloved Community,

On this sacred Juneteenth, I welcome you into a space of remembrance, reclamation, and radical imagination.

Juneteenth is not only a day to mark delayed freedom it is a portal to the futures our ancestors dreamed for us, and an invitation to continue planting what they began. It is a celebration of a truth we carry in our bones: we are meant to be free. Not just free from chains, but free to dream, to build, to belong, and to bloom.

The Vision Seed Starter Kit was born from that freedom fire. It is an offering, it’s a guide to help you root deeper into your liberation "why," to name the seed of your vision, and to remember that none of us do this work alone. It is a gentle companion for the journey toward collective liberation. Not as a far-off ideal, but as a living, breathing practice.

So, begin today with courage. Begin with memory. Begin with a whisper from your ancestors, a longing from your heart, a question that won’t let you go. Let the soil of Juneteenth nourish your vision. Let the seeds you plant grow wild with joy, justice, and possibility.

Because when we say Unbound, we mean it.
We mean stories unshackled.
We mean dreams uncontained.
We mean futures that belong to all of us.

May the ground rise to meet your roots. May the sun catch every seed you plant in freedom.

With tenderness, power, and deep belief in your vision,
LaShauna

Vision Seed Starter Kit.pdf9.62 MB • PDF File

Embracing Unbound Possibilities

As we reflect on the powerful spirit of Juneteenth, remember that the vision of true freedom and equity isn't a distant dream, but a seed continuously nurtured by our collective effort. Just as the Revolutionary's spirit cannot be captured, neither can the momentum of a community united in purpose. Let's continue to tend its growing, supporting each other and working together to build a future where every spirit is truly unbound.

How to Use Your Radical Imagination to Envision a Just and Equitable World — Everyday Activism Network

What is radical imagination? It sees the world not as it is, but as it could be: a healthy planet that is just and equitable for all. Radical imagination is the engine of social change movements. Radical imagination requires all of us to believe that our actions matter. And that our collective acti

Recommended Reading

We Are Each Other's Harvest

In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, photographs, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine black people’s connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. In the 1920s, there were over one million black farmers; today there are just 45,000. Baszile explores this crisis, through the farmers’ personal experiences.

Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy

Over the last two decades, activists in the United States have been experimenting with new politics and organizational approaches that stem from a fusion of radical political traditions and liberation struggles. Drawing inspiration from women of color feminism, justice struggles in communities of color, anarchist and socialist movements, the broad upsurges of the 1960s and 70s, and social movements in the Global South, a new generation of activists has sought to understand the past while building a movement for today’s world.

Orgs to Follow

Transplanting Traditions Community Farm

Transplanting Traditions supports food sovereignty in the refugee community through access to land, education and opportunities for refugee farmers to address community food insecurity and the barriers they face in reaching their dreams of farming. The farm provides a cultural community space for refugee adults and youth to come together, recreate home and build healthy communities, and continue agricultural traditions in the Piedmont of N.C.

Toxic Free NC

We advance environmental health and justice in North Carolina by advocating for safe alternatives to harmful pesticides and chemicals.

COMMONFUTURE.

Creating an equitable economy requires collective action from people across racial and class differences. Take part in a growing movement by making a donation, joining our team, or partnering with Common Future through our ongoing programs and initiatives.

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"In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist."
Angela Davis

Seeds of Change Consulting

We are a diverse and passionate team of sector experts and rising stars, united by a shared commitment to social and economic justice. We are a community of professionals deeply dedicated to advancing racial equity, collective liberation, and transformative change.