Juneteenth is a celebration, a remembrance, andif we’re being honesta yearly reminder that freedom in America has often arrived late, unevenly,
and with a lot of paperwork.

Observed on June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced
emancipation for enslaved people theremore than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today it’s also a federal holiday, which means the calendar
finally caught up with the history (in 2021, but who’s counting?).

So yes: celebrate. Eat something delicious. Attend a parade. Learn a story you didn’t learn in school. But if you want a Juneteenth practice that lasts
longer than your cookout leftovers, here’s a simple idea: support creators of color consistentlywith your attention, your dollars,
and your loudest “tell me more” energy.

Juneteenth in one minute (and why “beyond” matters)

Juneteenth is often called “Freedom Day,” but it’s really “Freedom Day (Texas Edition),” because it marks the enforcement of emancipation in a place where
slavery persisted even after major turning points in the Civil War.

That’s why the “and beyond” part matters. Juneteenth isn’t a one-day donation drop or a 24-hour hashtag marathon. It’s an invitation to keep showing up:
to learn, to remember, and to invest in Black creativity, scholarship, business, and joy all year long.

How to support creators in a way that actually helps

Supporting creators of color doesn’t require a massive budget or a nonprofit board seat. It does require intention. Here are the moves that matter most:

• Pay for the work. Subscriptions, books, tickets, classes, and products beat “exposure” every day of the week (including Juneteenth).
• Buy direct when you can. Creator-owned shops and official storefronts often deliver better margins than giant marketplaces.
• Share with context. Don’t just repostsay why you loved it, who it’s for, and what to do next (read, subscribe, buy, attend).
• Request the work. Ask your library to carry a book. Suggest a creator for a panel. Pitch them to your workplace for a paid talk.
• Stick around. The most powerful support is recurring: monthly purchases, ongoing engagement, consistent amplification.

11 creators of color worth your follows, reads, and dollars

These creators span food, beauty, tech, history, writing, and visual art. Some are household names; some might be new to you.
All are worth your attentionthis Juneteenth and beyond.

1) Tabitha Brown plant-based comfort with “Auntie” energy

Tabitha Brown’s content feels like a warm hug that also happens to include dinner ideas. She’s known for joyful, accessible plant-based cooking,
but her real superpower is the way she makes kindness feel like a strategy, not just a vibe.

Support move: Pick up one of her books (especially her cookbook) and cook a recipe with someone you love. Then share the resultmessy kitchen and all.

2) Jackie Aina beauty, business, and zero apologies

Jackie Aina helped push the beauty industry toward inclusivity long before it became trendy marketing. She pairs sharp commentary with deep expertise,
and she’s also built a lifestyle brand that turns self-care into something you can light (yes, candles count as mental health tools).

Support move: Buy from her brand, watch her videos with intention (not doom-scrolling), and share her work when people ask “Who should I follow?”

3) Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) tech reviews that respect your wallet

If you’ve ever Googled a phone review and ended up in a 40-tab spiral, Marques Brownlee is your lifeline. His videos are clean, thorough, and practical
the rare internet experience that makes you feel smarter instead of strangely underdressed.

Support move: Subscribe, listen to his tech podcast for deeper context, and share episodes that help people buy thoughtfully (and avoid regret).

4) Blair Imani history lessons built for real life

Blair Imani is an educator and creator known for making complex topicsrace, class, gender, disabilityclear without turning them into a scolding.
Her “Smarter in Seconds” approach is basically: here’s the context, here’s why it matters, and here’s what to do next.

Support move: Buy her book, gift it to the “I didn’t learn this in school” person in your life, and share her short-form lessons with a thoughtful caption.

5) Tricia Hersey (The Nap Ministry) rest as a practice of liberation

Tricia Hersey, known as the Nap Bishop, reframes rest as something deeper than self-care aesthetics. Her work connects exhaustion to systemscapitalism,
racism, grind cultureand invites people to reclaim rest as a human right and a tool for sustained resistance.

Support move: Read her book, practice one small boundary (even a 10-minute pause), and recommend her work when conversations about burnout get real.

6) Luvvie Ajayi Jones humor with a backbone

Luvvie Ajayi Jones writes and speaks like your funniest friend who also keeps receipts. Her work encourages courageespecially the kind that shows up
in meetings, in relationships, and in moments when fear tries to drive the car.

Support move: Grab her book or follow her podcast. Then pass along a quote that made you braver (or at least less willing to settle).

7) Amanda Gorman poetry that makes the future feel possible

Amanda Gorman helped reintroduce many people to poetry as something alivepublic, emotional, and useful. Her work sits at the intersection of art
and civic imagination: it doesn’t just describe the world, it dares it to improve.

Support move: Buy a book, attend readings or events when available, and share her work as a gateway for young readers who think poetry “isn’t for them.”

8) Clint Smith a map through America’s memory (and mis-memory)

Clint Smith writes about history in a way that feels both researched and personal. His work explores how the United States tells stories about slavery
through monuments, landmarks, and institutionsand what those stories reveal about power, denial, and identity.

Support move: Read his book with a friend, start a mini book club, and pair it with a visit to a local museum or historic site to make the learning tangible.

9) Bisa Butler quilts that turn history into portraiture

Bisa Butler creates striking quilted portraits that elevate everyday Black people into the visual language of legacy. Her work is vibrant, detailed,
and deeply grounded in a tradition of storytelling through textilesart that refuses to be quiet.

Support move: Visit exhibitions when her work is shown, follow her studio updates, and support museums and institutions that champion Black visual artists.

10) Nancy Twine hair care innovation with founder energy

Nancy Twine founded a clean, high-performance hair-care brand after leaving a finance career, building products meant for a wide range of hair types
and textures. Her story is a reminder that “creator” isn’t only a content titleit’s also a builder title.

Support move: Buy products you’ll actually use, leave a detailed review (it helps), and highlight founder stories that normalize Black leadership in beauty.

11) Bryant Terry food as culture, justice, and celebration

Bryant Terry is a chef, writer, and food justice advocate who explores the African Diaspora through flavor, tradition, and creativity.
His work isn’t just about recipesit’s about memory, community, and how food tells the truth when history books don’t.

Support move: Cook from one of his books, support local Black farmers and makers when possible, and bring his work into your gatherings beyond June.

Easy ways to support creators beyond June 19

• Create a “Creators I Pay” list. Pick two creators and commit to a monthly purchase, subscription, or membership.
• Make your gifts meaningful. Buy books, art prints, and products from creator-owned shops instead of defaulting to big-box gift cards.
• Fix your algorithm on purpose. Follow, save, share, and comment thoughtfully so platforms learn what you value.
• Request Black-authored titles at your library. It’s a small action with surprisingly big ripple effects.
• Bring creators into your workplace. Advocate for paid speaking gigs, workshops, or creator partnerships (paid, not “great exposure”).

Experiences that come with supporting creators of color (the real-life version)

When people decide to support creators of color beyond Juneteenth, the first experience is often a surprising one: you realize how much you’ve been
letting an algorithm pick your worldview. Your feed may feel like the same five voices repeating the same takes in different fonts. The moment you
intentionally follow Black educators, artists, chefs, and writers, your timeline starts to widen. You see new references, new humor, new traditions, and new
context for stories you thought you already understood.

Another common experience: you become more careful with your compliments. “I love your work!” is nice. “I bought your book and told three friends
to buy it too” is nicer. People learn quickly that creators don’t pay rent in likes. So support becomes more concrete: you pre-order, you subscribe, you attend,
you tip, you request the book at your library, you show up when it’s not a holiday. The funny part is how empowering this feelsbecause you realize support is
not only charity; it’s participation in culture.

Many folks also experience a shift in how they celebrate. Juneteenth can start as a single day of posts, then evolve into a tradition:
a yearly reading list, a family cookout featuring recipes from Black chefs, or a group trip to a museum exhibition spotlighting Black artists.
Supporting creators of color often turns into collective experiencesbook clubs, watch parties, cooking nightsbecause art and stories are
more fun when they’re shared. Suddenly, learning doesn’t feel like homework; it feels like community.

There’s also a real “aha” moment when you notice how often Black creators are asked to educate for free. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it:
the unpaid emotional labor in comments, the constant demands for explanations, the expectation that someone should perform enlightenment on command.
Supporting creators means respecting boundariespaying for workshops, buying the book instead of demanding a thread, and recognizing that creators get to be
funny, soft, messy, niche, and joyful. They don’t owe the internet a lesson every time they log on.

Finally, people who commit to “Juneteenth and beyond” support often describe a deeper, quieter experience: gratitude. Not the performative kind,
but the grounded kind that comes from realizing you’re benefiting from a long line of brilliance that survived despite attempts to erase it.
Supporting creators of color becomes a way of saying, “I see you,” not as a slogan, but as a habitone purchase, one share, one recommendation, one conversation
at a time. And if you ever forget, your bookshelf, your playlist, your kitchen, and your feed will remind you: culture is built by people, and people deserve
to be supported.

Conclusion

Juneteenth asks us to remember the truth, honor resilience, and celebrate Black life. Supporting creators of color is one of the most practical ways to do that
not just in June, but all year long. Follow with intention. Buy the work. Share it with context. And keep showing upbecause “beyond” is where the real change lives.

The post 11 Creators of Color to Support This Juneteenth (and Beyond) appeared first on Global Travel Notes.