Today in the United States is Juneteenth: during this day Americans celebrates the 19th of June 1865, the day in which slavery finally ended. The importance of this date is not only symbolic. The abolition of slavery already ended the 1st of January 1863, but only with the liberation of the last slave in Texas was effective. The first celebrations of Juneteenth began in 1866, a year after the civil war.
The holiday, still to this day, is not a national holiday (only in a few states is considered official), and has only been celebrated by the black community. But in today’s America, still mourning the death of George Floyd, tired of the police brutality towards black people, celebrating Juneteenth seems more important than ever. Celebrating this holiday doesn’t take the attention away from the Black Lives Matter protests and the debates that want to end systematic racism, but rather highlight them.
Best Buy decided to give the example and offered a paid day off to all its employees so that they can join the protests and volunteering activities. Nike announced on LinkedIn that they will close all their stores, offices and distribution centres to celebrate Juneteenth: “During this day our employees and collaborators can educate themselves to better understand the importance of this moment in black’s history and we encourage our customers to do the same,” said the brand. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, announced on Twitter that for his companies Juneteenth “will always be a paid holiday”.
The holiday, still to this day, is not a national holiday (only in a few states is considered official), and has only been celebrated by the black community. But in today’s America, still mourning the death of George Floyd, tired of the police brutality towards black people, celebrating Juneteenth seems more important than ever. Celebrating this holiday doesn’t take the attention away from the Black Lives Matter protests and the debates that want to end systematic racism, but rather highlight them.
Best Buy decided to give the example and offered a paid day off to all its employees so that they can join the protests and volunteering activities. Nike announced on LinkedIn that they will close all their stores, offices and distribution centres to celebrate Juneteenth: “During this day our employees and collaborators can educate themselves to better understand the importance of this moment in black’s history and we encourage our customers to do the same,” said the brand. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, announced on Twitter that for his companies Juneteenth will always be ” a day for celebration, education and connection”.
Both Twitter and Square are making #Juneteenth (June 19th) a company holiday in the US, forevermore. A day for celebration, education, and connection.https://t.co/xmR3fWMiRs
— jack (@jack) June 9, 2020
Similar statements came from the New York Times, Mastercard, sports team and sports leagues like the NBA and the NFL. While many TV channels and streaming platforms are offering a calendar of content availabòe for free during the weekend that features film such as Black Panther, The Banker and Selma, and tv series like Watchmen and Atlanta. Today, in the middle of a pandemic and the protests, Trump decided to hold his first electoral committee for his campaign, a choice that many considered not only an open provocation but also disrespectful.
