Juneteenth. Communities came together all across Arizona to commemorate Juneteenth. June 19th marks the day when the last enslaved people in Texas were freed, a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation–during the Civil War, Texas was a safe haven for white slave owners who would have to be forced to free the people they enslaved. On Thursday, Pres. Biden signed legislation that made Juneteenth an official federal holiday. Many are celebrating the victory while calling for continued action to deal with mass incarceration, police brutality, civil rights, voting rights, reparations, and economic justice. 

McConnell says no. Because for some reason, he still gets to decide what Democrats can and can’t pass, despite Democrats having the majority. Over the past week, Sen. Manchin pushed several changes to S.1, the For the People Act, in an attempt to bring Republicans on board with passing voting rights reform. McConnell equivocally shut down Manchin’s compromise on Friday, again underscoring the need to eliminate the filibuster. On Friday, many Arizonans joined ‘Freedom Riders’ en route to D.C., where they hope to meet with lawmakers to show strong support for S. 1. 

Arizona fires. Wildfires are burning across Arizona, threatening the lives and homes of Arizonans and the animals who call the desert home. Firefighters have struggled to contain the Telegraph and Mezcal fires,which merged Wednesday. The Pinnacle Fire also continued to grow Saturday, as did the Backbone Fire. The extreme drought in Arizona is preventing firefighters from dropping water onto fires. The San Carlos Reservoir is so low that taking water from it for firefighting, would leave it dry. Gov. Ducey signed a $100 million plan to fight the current fires in Arizona, but Democratic lawmakers are calling for legislation that would also help prevent future fires by dealing with climate change. 

 AZ ballots in MT. CNN covers the Maricopa County ballots that have been taken to a remote property in Montana, as part of the so called “audit” conducted by the Cyber Ninjas.

Support Jada. This Juneteenth and Pride Month, support a Black trans femme’s Freedom Fund. Contribute to help Jada further her education, relocate, and afford gender-affirming healthcare. Support the unsheltered. During this extreme heat wave, support the homeless in your community and help to prevent heat deaths through these actions. CCC Community Teach-in. Join Sunrise Tempe for their Teach-In about the Civilian Climate Corps on June 23rd from 7:15-9:00 PM! They will be mingling, discussing what the CCC looks like, and enjoying food and fun together. 

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