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word to know: JUNETEENTH
summed up: We are dedicated to being an anti-racist resource for our readers.

An explanation...
In case you missed it, let's talk about Juneteenth. 
155 years ago Major General Granger in Galveston TX announced that all slaves were to be set free under federal orders. Ever since, Juneteenth has become an annual celebration of the end of slavery in the US.

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What's next?
Juneteenth will hopefully become a federal holiday. Companies such as Square, Spotify, TikTok, and Twitter have made Juneteenth a paid holiday. 

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Anything else?
Beyoncé celebrated by releasing a song AND giving us a directory of black-owned businesses to support.
LET'S DO THIS!

If you signed up for the anti-racist book club, we are still looking into the most productive/helpful way to organize it. We will keep you updated! If you are interested in joining, please fill out this form.

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Facebook. Making Moves.
summed up: We got two big announcements this week from FB! 

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Explain...
1. Facebook learned a lil something from 2016... and is giving us the option to turn off political advertisements. Oh! and they're launching a voting information hub. About time, Mark!!! More on that here.

2. WhatsApp (which is owned by Facebook) is launching a digital payments platform. They're beginning with their second largest user demographic-- Brazil. This is pretty big news.
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Is Libra back?
Not exactly.
Whatsapp's digital payment function would be enabled by Facebook Pay. It's expected to be free for consumers and cost similarly to credit card processing fees. This launch is a test for Facebook, who hopes to use Whatsapp’s massive 2 billion+ user base. 
 
 Read more here. 

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In other news...

1. Following SEC concerns, Hertz's plan to sell shares during bankruptcy has been halted.

2. New York City begins Phase II. 

3. Walt Disney stopped offering their one-week free trials for Disney+ streaming services in the US. (aka they're on fiiiiire. So... like... watch out, Netflix.)

Hi!
Thanks for reading and staying informed :)

We appreciate you!! If you want to tell a friend about us... Send them the link to sign up. 💔

HAVE A GOOD WEEK. STAY SANE + HEALTHY + EDUCATED!! 
xo the root (aka ilana + eve)

p.s you can also tell your friends to click the link in our bio on instagram-- @wearetheroot. 💯