Time to Get Back to Work!

The month of June is named for Juno, the chief Roman goddess and female counterpart of Jupiter. She is known for her beauty, strength, and wisdom, but also recognized as a powerful deity with a strong sense of justice. Given her role as protector of women and children, this powerful queen of the gods was also considered the fierce protector and special counselor of the Roman state and a guardian angel who warned the Romans of impending danger. If Juno were among us today, she would surely be shouting out this warning, “Save yourselves by protecting your Democracy!”

But, as we cannot count on Juno to protect us, we will have to do it ourselves. Electing competent, responsible, and compassionate leaders will help us care for ourselves, for our neighbors, and for our nation. This is what Democrats do. June commemorates an array of historic moments, as well as days marking myriad progressive and environmental issues. We memorialize these days to remind us of some of our more valued principles. It would behoove us to select candidates who also prioritize these traditional Democratic ideals when we vote in the August Primaries.

• June is Pride Month.

• June 1st is World Reef Awareness Day and also International Children’s Day

• June 5th is World Environment Day

• June 6th marks the anniversary of D-Day, marking a pivotal Allied invasion of Normandy during WWII. D-Day demonstrated the power of Allied cooperation and led to the formation of NATO, once a valued partnership but recently devalued and neglected by the current administration) 

• June 7th is National Cancer Survivors’ Day

• June 8th is World Oceans Day

• June 8th is also Thomas Paine Day, America’s most well-known advocate for the right of the people to overthrow their government

• June 14th is Flag Day

• June 19th is Juneteenth, aka Freedom Day, aka Emancipation Day

• June 21st is the summer solstice, the day with the most hours of daylight (if only we could shine the light of day on all of the ongoing governmental grift and corruption!)

• June 28th is the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a watershed moment for LGBT rights in the United States.

Each of these dates honors some of those who have come before. All of these historic moments contributed to who we are today. They are to be celebrated and remembered. No need to stop there, though. Under the current administration, we have been experiencing national setbacks, so we are not yet the nation we want to be. There is still work to be done, so let’s get back to work!