This year, Father’s Day and Juneteenth fall on the same day. While the intersection of these two holidays is entirely coincidental, BET’s newly-launched campaign makes it seem anything but.
BET has created an effort to honor the Black men who shape families and communities everywhere.
The campaign titled “Where Black Men Lead” allows family, friends, and peers of Black men to send in videos of their role models in action in their lives.
There will be 157 winners to celebrate 157 years since the first Juneteenth. These winners will each receive gift packages of their choice.
There will also be a grand-prize winner who will earn $10,000 as a token of appreciation for their father figure. Winners are set to be announced on June 11.
The campaign was inspired by the coming together of two highly celebrated holidays was created by those at BET so who this as an opportunity for empowerment and appreciation.
On June 19th, 1865, the first troops to free enslaved African Americans arrived in Galveston, Texas after the recent end of the Civil War. This day marked a turning point in American history, one which is now commemorated annually in a national holiday dubbed “Juneteenth.”
“This year is the first year that Father’s Day falls exactly on Juneteenth,” Chief Marketing Officer Kimberly Paige said. “In the spirit of celebration and being very effective and efficient, we thought ‘what better time to celebrate 157 years as it relates to the first day of Juneteenth?'”
Celebrated on June 19th, Juneteenth is a United States holiday commemorating the anniversary of the freeing of enslaved people after the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. For many, the holiday is an opportunity to take pride in one’s culture and celebrate resilience, strength, and identity.
“At BET, we’ve always tried to create a space and agency where our community is seen and celebrated and recognized,” Paige said. “In that same vein, we really wanted to take a moment to celebrate Black fathers and father figures who are doing things not only for their immediate families but also in the community.”
In her interview with 6 in the Mix’s Johanna Gomez, Paige goes on to explain the choice to create such a powerful campaign in honor of those Black men whose good acts may be otherwise overlooked.
“We truly recognize how important it is to have role models and specifically father figures who are really demonstrating not only how we as a community survive, but really thrive,” Paige said.
