This ‘Watchmen’ writer and Emmy Award-winner has a recipe for the perfect Juneteenth

June 18, 2021 11:45 AM PT

We wanted to know the vibe for Juneteenth this year, so we asked Emmy Award-winning L.A.-based TV writer, essayist and journalist Cord Jefferson.

Jefferson is best known for his work on “The Good Place,” “Master of None,” “Succession” and the Emmy-awarded “Watchmen,” which he and the show’s creator, Damon Lindelof, won last year in the writing for a limited series category. During his acceptance speech, Jefferson famously thanked his therapist, Ian, and advocated for free therapy in this country. But he’s been doing the work for years, writing poignant essays on the Black experience and searing satire critiquing media’s portrayal of Black communities. In January, he launched the 2021 Susan M. Haas Fellowship to help underemployed journalists break into TV writing, with special attention on folks who are traditionally underrepresented in writers rooms.

On Juneteenth, Jefferson is celebrating, thinking and yes, going to therapy. He’s eating oysters, he’s drinking chilled wine, he’s mulling the idea of what reparations should look like. He’s wearing sunscreen, y’all. Because “Black people get skin cancer too.”

Ahead of the holiday Saturday, let him be your guide.

An illustration that says: "Fill in the Blank."

The unofficial smell of Juneteenth is:

A quote card with Cord Jefferson's unofficial smell of Juneteenth: sunscreen.

My Juneteenth self-care routine:

A quote card breaking down Cord Jefferson's Juneteenth self-care routine.

I feel most free when:

My celebratory meal:

Reparations ...

Screenshot my mood

A selfie that captures my Juneteenth mood:

“I watched the ‘Tina’ documentary, and the next night I was at a party where a guy was giving stick-and-pokes and I felt inspired. Tina Turner should be on U.S. currency, but for now, she’s on my thigh.”

A meme that sums up my week: