Envisioning a Bridge of Lament
What if the period between Juneteenth and July 4th became a sixteen-day season of remembrance, lament, and renewal?
In 2023, author Duke Kwon asked on social media,
“What if the period between June 19th and July 4th were to become an annual 16-day season of national remembrance, lament, and renewal?”
In her book Journey to Freedom, Natasha Sistrunk Robinson asks,
"What if Black people did not bear the burden of that work? What if the people who have benefited the most from generations of Black enslavement bore the responsibility to prepare for such a remembrance prayerfully and thoughtfully?"
That is what we are building in this space: a bridge of lament, using the days between Juneteenth and Independence Day to reflect on the people, places, and events in Lynchburg, Virginia, that have been impacted by white supremacy throughout the city’s history. Through daily written pieces of history, poetry, and personal essays, we hope to draw members of our community into remembrance and lament, and ultimately to a renewed pursuit of equality and justice both in our city and our country.
Community has always been crucial for the work of remembrance and lament, for renewal and fullness of joy, because, in the words of Dr. King, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Join us, beginning on Juneteenth. Let’s cross this bridge together.
