Juneteenth - In conversation with Renitta Shannon
To celebrate Juneteenth, Bi+GA sat down with Renitta Shannon, Georgia’s first openly bisexual legislator, to learn what it means to her and how the Bi+ community can stand in solidarity with our Black community members.
Juneteenth is the annual celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. Historically, this has gone relatively unmarked outside of the Black community, but we are seeing an increase in awareness about this day and its meaning in recent years, thanks primarily to the hard work of Black activists and organizers. How do you feel about seeing this day being recognized on a wider scale?
I'm really glad Juneteenth is starting to get recognition by the wider community. So much of the experience of Black Americans has been whitewashed in textbooks and media and this is one of the reasons we have not seen our country reconcile it's problems with race.
What lessons can the LGBTQ+ community, and specifically the Bi+ community, learn from the organizers responsible for the increased awareness of Juneteenth?
Bi organizers can learn specifically that it's important to consistently work to raise awareness and teach the history of the community. It's important that the general public understand the contributions of bi people throughout history. We are just now seeing in media that many of our greatest contributors to culture, music, politics and society were bi or queer but that part of their idenitity was not recognized by the larger society at the time of their work.
As a Georgia State Representative, you are providing a voice for not only your direct constituents, but also for Black, women, and bi+ Georgians. How does it feel to be providing that level of representation?
I am honored to be a voice, I take the responsibility very seriously.
In recent years we've seen increased LGBTQ+ representation in the state legislature, most notably with you, Sam Park, Park Cannon, and Matthew Wilson. Why do you feel it is important to have this representation for our community in positions of power and authority?
It's so important to see diverse representation within the lgbtq community because we are able to bring a perspective to crafting legislation that would not be there without us. Democracy works best when it is representative and right now our elected leaders do not look like the makeup of society so its important that we continue to elect LGBTQ+ leaders especially BIPOC LGBTQ+ leaders because we really are living at the intersections of so many identities which make us keenly aware of the issues and that makes for better solutions in legislation.
What are the most important issues facing our state legislature regarding the rights and equity of marginalized Georgians, such as people of color, women, LGBTQ+ Georgians?
It's still the case that LGBTQ Georgians can be fired or rejected from housing because of our sexual orientation, and every year anti-LGBTQ legislators look for new ways to discriminate. Anyone paying attention can see that the criminal justice system hunts and then profits from incarcerating Black people and Black people have never been made whole by systems that were set up to perpetuate inequity against us. All of this is happening while our right to participate in democracy and determine our future through voting is under attack.
What can we, as a community, do to be better allies to others who may not look, feel, or love like us?
Educate yourself on the history not taught to you in school about the role of racism in American history and the effects of systemic racism on BIPOC communities. Start by researching historic events like Juneteenth, the Tulsa Massacre and others to understand where this country has been in order to figure out how you can contribute to a better course for all of us collectively. Then use your voice to stand up for what is right and fight for us like you would fight for yourself.
