Juneteenth commemorates the date – June 19th, 1865 – on which the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced that all enslaved people in Confederate states were free. It is an important day in American and Black and African American history, it is considered the longest-running Black or African American holiday, and it became an official federal holiday in 2021.

While the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1st, 1863, it could not be enforced until the end of the Civil War.  At that time, the Union Army made its way through the Confederate states to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, and they completed this effort when they reached Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865.

Slavery was formally abolished with when the 13th Amendment was enacted in 1865, and the 14th and 15th Amendments, ratified in 1868 and 1870, respectively, ensured that liberties from the Bill of Rights, including citizenship, due process, equal rights, and the right to vote, extended to formerly enslaved people.

How should our organization observe Juneteenth?

  1. Plan engaging activities that focus on learning and reflection

    • Partner with an ERG for Black employees to plan activities

    • Share learning materials, including online materials or a Juneteenth-focused book

    • Provide individual and group learning experiences and include both historical and cultural information

    • Create spaces for employees to reflect on Juneteenth and connect with peers to share their perspectives

    • Host a panel discussion or fireside chat about Juneteenth that features external experts

    • Sponsor visits to local museums or heritage centers dedicated to Black Americans

  2. Be intentional about communications

    • Send out regular communications leading up to Juneteenth that include:

      • Leader and employee reflections on Juneteenth

      • Information about how the organization plans to observe the holiday

      • Historical and cultural information

      • Spotlights on local Black-owned business, nonprofits serving Black communities, and Black artists

    • Provide comms templates for employees (email signature graphics, LinkedIn posts, Zoom backgrounds, etc.)

  3. Connect with the communities in which you operate

    • Engage with local Black-owned businesses

    • Engage with Black artists

    • Sponsor visits to local museums or heritage centers dedicated to Black Americans

    • Identify and sponsor local community events that support the Black community

    • Provide a list of local nonprofit and community organizations that support Black communities – encourage employees to donate and consider offering to match each donation up to a certain amount

  4. Give employees the day off

    • Employees may want to spend time reflecting on Black history in the United States, volunteer with a local organization, visit a local museum or heritage center, and shop at Black-owned businesses and eat at Black-owned restaurants. Or they may want to spend the day resting and recharging. Whatever they do with their time, giving employees the day off creates space for them to observe the holiday in the way that is most impactful for them.

What Juneteenth resources can our organization use?

Image courtesy of Google

Need help determining how to best develop your DEI plans and programs to deliver high-impact, measurable results?  Contact us here.

by Jamey Applegate

Sign up to receive our newsletter in your inbox and get DEI insights from Equity At Work first.