Juneteenth and Pride 2025
Publisher: Conor Van Santen
At ICOY, we believe in recognizing and uplifting the histories, identities, and experiences that shape our organizations and the communities they serve. As we celebrate both Juneteenth and Pride Month this June, ICOY’s DEI committee asked staff to take time to reflect on the significance of these observances—not only as milestones in the ongoing fight for freedom and equity, but as opportunities to listen, learn, and grow together.
In this blog post, we’ve included a few of their reflections to provide thoughtful and heartfelt space on behalf of Pride and Juneteenth in 2025. Their voices remind us that these commemorations are not just historical markers, but living stories of resilience, pride, and the pursuit of justice. We’re grateful to them for their honesty, vulnerability, and strength.
What does Juneteenth and/or Pride mean to you?
Sarah Daniels, Chief of Staff: As someone deeply committed to building generational wealth, breaking toxic cycles, and walking in purpose, both Pride and Juneteenth hold personal significance for me. They are not just dates on the calendar—they are reminders of the freedom we’re still fighting for. Juneteenth reminds me of the resilience and brilliance of my ancestors who endured unimaginable hardship so that I could live, build, and dream today. Their sacrifice is why I’m committed to economic empowerment, legacy, and creating spaces where Black families can thrive. Pride, for me, is about the right to live out loud in truth. Even if I don’t identify within the LGBTQ+ community, I honor its fight for dignity, expression, and liberation—because none of us are truly free until all of us are. Together, these celebrations remind me to:
- Advocate louder.
- Love deeper.
- Build intentionally.
- And hold space for every intersection of identity with respect, care, and courage.
Here’s to a future where we’re not just surviving—but thriving in our wholeness, with pride and power.
Olivia Meisenbach, Summer Intern: Community and liberation
Conor Van Santen, Sr. Manager of Communications & Outreach: Juneteenth and Pride are celebrations of inclusivity, liberation, and hope. When chattel slavery was finally abolished in the farthest reaches of the United States, Juneteenth became a moment for freedmen and women to dream for a future that their children and their children’s children could participate in as full-fledged human beings. For folks in the LGBTQ+ community, Pride continues to simultaneously be a moment of protest and an aspirational vision for the rights that heterosexual people take for granted everyday: using the bathroom of their gender identity, being recognized with proper pronouns, getting married to the person they love, and much more.
How does Juneteenth & Pride show up in your organization, community, and/or role as a service provider?
Sarah Daniels, Chief of Staff: In an organization rooted in advocacy, Pride and Juneteenth are more than commemorative dates—they are calls to action and mirrors of our mission. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom delayed is not freedom denied. It’s a moment to remember that systems don’t change without sustained pressure, organized voices, and a commitment to justice. As advocates, we recognize that true liberation for Black communities requires intentional investment, policy shifts, and cultural accountability. Pride is a celebration of identity, resistance, and joy in the face of exclusion. It challenges us to ensure that our advocacy is inclusive of LGBTQ+ voices—especially those at the intersections of race, gender, and class. It pushes us to fight for visibility, protection, and the right to live freely. At their core, both observances reflect what our organization stands for:
- The dismantling of systems that marginalize.
- The celebration of communities that lead with resilience and brilliance.
- The courage to act, even when it’s uncomfortable.
This June, we honor Juneteenth and Pride by recommitting ourselves to intersectional advocacy. That means:
- Listening to lived experiences.
- Amplifying silenced voices in leadership.
- Advocating for equity not just in public policy—but in how we show up internally.
Because we know: when we fight for one group’s liberation, we move all of us forward.
Olivia Meisenbach, Summer Intern: It shows up daily. My goal is to serve marginalized communities and uplift their voices.
Conor Van Santen, Sr. Manager of Communications & Outreach: I value ICOY’s work promoting and championing diversity, equity and inclusion via the DEI Committee and by helping providers at the direct service level become more inclusive and trauma-informed in the services they provide to all youth, especially those who come from traditionally marginalized backgrounds.
We invite you to reflect on the intersectionality of these experiences and occasions below!
Sarah Daniels, Chief of Staff: Juneteenth marks the delayed promise of freedom for Black Americans. Pride honors the courage of LGBTQ+ communities to live and love out loud. But at their intersection lives a deeper truth: Black queer and trans people have long been leaders in the fight for justice—often unseen, but never silent. In our advocacy work, we recognize that true equity means showing up for every layer of identity. Because freedom for one must mean freedom for all. We’re committed to building spaces where all voices are valued, where policy meets people, and where liberation isn’t selective.
Conor Van Santen, Sr. Manager of Communications & Outreach: Juneteenth and Pride are celebrations of liberation–both literally and figuratively. These occasions provide people with the time and space to reflect on their backgrounds and origins in order to advocate for and celebrate a more just world that leaves no one on the margins.
Thank you for taking the time to read our staff reflections! Our communications team, in collaboration with the DEI committee, has also taken time to assemble relevant resources and information about Juneteenth & Pride for our monthly social posts linked here. We hope you have a meaningful and marvelous Juneteenth and Pride!