Happy Juneteenth!
Today, we celebrate this day of freedom and commemorate those who fight against racial injustice. While it’s important to recognize and help explain the importance of Juneteenth, we also know this isn’t a one-day event; it’s a reminder of a daily effort we all must make to build a more equal and inclusive world. As many of us observe this historic holiday, we want to ask our Community:
What can we do in our workplaces to meaningfully commemorate Juneteenth?
Over the past 19 days, we’ve been sharing tips, examples from Pledge 1% members, and resources on our social media. You can browse the full curated a list below, along with some actions companies can take to honor this day throughout the year:
- Last year marked the first celebration of Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday, but it was a long and arduous fight to achieve that recognition. Understanding the history of our youngest holiday is an important first step to commemorating it. This article by the New York Times breaks down the timeline from state celebration to Federal holiday.
- Working virtually has helped Black employees avoid microaggressions in the workplace. As companies return to in-person work, going back into the office has become a key topic in workplace inclusivity. PBS shares tips on transitioning back to the office.
- Investing and supporting Black-owned companies can help diversify both your company's portfolio and Black entrepreneurs. This Mashable article covers how to find and support black business through investing.
- Do you have a Black employee resource group? Amplifying black voices in your workplace is a key way to engage and provide essential community spaces. Find examples like Salesforce’s BOLDforce to learn why employee resource groups are important and powerful.
- Being an authentic ally is a key way to dismantle structural racism and sexism in the workplace. According to the 2021 Women in the Workplace report “How gender and race inform the workplace” by McKinsey, Black women are more than 1.5x more likely to say they don’t have allies in their workplace.
- Corporations play a huge part in shaping societal values. By honoring Juneteenth, you encourage conversations around resources and advocacy needed to support Black employees. This article by Forbes provides actionable steps to dismantle racism in the workplace.
- A key way corporations can support Black employees is to make Juneteenth a paid holiday. Pledge 1% builders like Twilio and Yelp have already taken the initiative to build PTO for Juneteenth into their company culture. This article details why this step is important not only for corporate culture, but also for the broader community in general.
Are you celebrating Juneteenth? If you find these resources helpful, or would like to share your own, we would love to hear from you. Please post them in our Social Impact Forum or in the comments below.
