WCC minute on Juneteenth honors and reaffirms reparatory justice for the sake of all

A World Council of Churches (WCC) minute on the official US federal holiday of Juneteenth noted that the holiday not only celebrates the emancipation of formerly enslaved people of African descent in the US-North America context, but also “marks the memory of the broader global history/herstory of the transatlantic (‘Middle Passage’) extraction of African peoples and natural resources taken from Africa that still has consequences today, including the racialized impact of the debt and climate crisis.”

The minute from the WCC central committee notes that, with US and other global governmental public policies that are seeking to erase and not provide support for the stories and equitable livelihoods of diverse peoples, Juneteenth is a timely reminder of hope for all of us despite the continued scourge of racism and racialized structures and powers.

On this year of the 140th anniversary of the Berlin Conference and the 40th anniversary of the Kairos Document in South Africa, the WCC central committee “honors and reaffirms its call for reparatory justice for the sake of all,” concludes the minute.

The WCC central committee is convening 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Minute on Juneteenth and the Continued Legacy of Racism, Resistance and Hope

WCC Central Committee, June 2025

WCC central committee moderator: “we will continue our pilgrimage, praying and doing justice” (WCC news release, 18 June 2025)

WCC general secretary reflects on daring to hope amid struggle (WCC news release, 18 June 2025)

Welcomed by African churches, WCC central committee opens (WCC news release, 19 June 2025)

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Photos: WCC Central Committee 2025