Doing the Most—Because June Demands It
By Angela Curry, Founder & Executive Director, United Women of Color
Let me tell you something: June is like that friend who shows up to brunch with five causes, two children, a playlist, and a protest sign—and somehow still finds time to pass out snacks and check on your mama. And if you’re anything like me, you’re trying to keep up with her holy, high-energy self while balancing work, advocacy, and a whole lot of heart.
June is Pride Month, Black Music Month, Caribbean American Heritage Month, Immigrant Heritage Month, Gun Violence Awareness Month, Men’s Health Month, and Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month. That’s not just a list—that’s a mirror. A reflection of the intersecting identities we carry and the struggles we’ve inherited, survived, and are still pushing through.
We can’t address one without considering the others. Because injustice doesn’t come one at a time—it shows up all at once. And so do we.
Holding the Memory & Making the Moment
This month marks five years since peaceful protestors were tear gassed in downtown Huntsville. Five years since snipers perched on rooftops, while local and county law enforcement shot rubber bullets at folks demanding justice for George Floyd—during a global pandemic, no less.
I wasn’t out there on June 1 or 3, 2020; I was too angry. But my reckoning came soon after. The brutality I witnessed was too great and so very unnecessary. The fire within me caused me to get to thinking, strategizing, planning, and talking. The perfect mix of grief and righteous rage. But it was also the moment I moved from keyboard warrior to true activist.
That week birthed the Citizens Coalition for Justice Reform (CCJR)—a multiracial, multigenerational, multigender alliance committed to reimagining safety through the lens of equity. Since then, we’ve trained advocates, challenged power, and reminded Huntsville that we’re still watching.
We Hosted a Protest Art Show—and a Listening Session Broke Out
To mark this anniversary, United Women of Color partnered with artist and curator Iris Billiter for a popup protest art show and community listening session. And baby, it was powerful.
We turned memory into movement and grief into art. But we didn’t stop there—we held space for healing, for testimony, for truth-telling. As I’ve shared before:
“My activism started with mediating conflicts in elementary school, volunteering to count the local houseless population overnight in 1999, advocating for families and children as a social service caseworker, advocating for my own children in the local PTA—and matured when I realized silence wasn’t an option.”
LIGHT, Food, and Fire
Our work doesn’t end with reflection—it calls for action. Here’s what UWOC is doing right now:
✅ Phase 2 of the LIGHT Institute is underway, training everyday folks to lead with courage and clarity. Interest Form Link
✅ Our Civic Engagement Book Club is centering fictional narratives of the all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps who found purpose, solidarity, and lifelong friendship in their mission of sorting over one million pieces of mail for the U.S. Army during WWII—unsung heroes of democracy. Join Us Link
✅ We’re launching a community call for food banking and little pantries, because hunger is a justice issue, too. Sign Your Organization Up
✅ We’re offering legislative advocacy training with Adam Keller from Alabama Arise—because we understand the power and protection of collective advocacy. Come On
✅ We’re partnering with our friends at Southern Diversity Project to celebrate River City Pride, lifting up queer joy in the Deep South. Learn More
✅ We’re honored to host Kyra Davis Lurie, a bestselling author and screenwriter, for a special visit to Huntsville. Her new book The Great Mann reimagines The Great Gatsby in 1940s Black L.A.—and we’re here for all of it. Attend-It’s Free
✅ And every Friday, our Library Link-Up gives Grow with Google learners space to connect in person at the Huntsville Public Library. With childcare and snacks provided, learners get focused support from our GWG coordinator while working on online courses in community. Because access matters—and so does encouragement. Let Us Know You’re Coming
But Before You Go...
Let’s talk about Juneteenth. A lot of folks are surprised to learn that its colors are red, white, and blue—just like the American flag. And that’s intentional. Juneteenth isn’t about creating a new version of freedom. It’s about claiming a promise that was made—and delayed—for far too long.
Those colors reflect a simple, radical truth: Black Americans were always American, even when this country refused to see it.
So this June, whether you're raising a rainbow flag, singing a freedom song, dropping off canned goods, registering voters, or just trying to make it through the week—know this:
You are not alone.
You are not too late.
You are part of the most beautiful, complicated, freedom-fighting mosaic the world has ever seen.
And if June’s doing the most, that just means you’re right on time.
