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President Joe Biden signed a law making June a national holiday on Thursday, adding the first new holiday to the federal calendar since President Ronald Reagan added Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983
Black activists have advocated this outcome for years, but the emergence and resonance of Juneteenth gained a new sense of urgency last year after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Although Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, June 19, 1865, marks the day the Union army reached the outer frontier of the former Confederacy and told black citizens that they were no longer slaves.)
June 19 falls on a Saturday this year, so many companies have chosen to recognize it on Friday, the 18th. With the holiday added to the federal calendar so close to the date, the stock market stayed open Friday, but the number of companies recognizing Juneteenth is growing as US companies seek ways to make pledges of diversity and inclusion — though some question whether they’re achieving Truly the spirit of those commitments.
An increasing number of companies are embracing the holiday, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean of the Yale School of Management and CEO of the CEO Leadership Institute at Yale University. “Many companies have talked about this and have already built this for a paid vacation day or a ‘pay holiday’ day of work,” he told NBC News by email. “Many others are planning to be ready for next year,” he told NBC News by email.
A San Francisco Bay Area group called HellaCreative has developed a database of nearly 700 companies and nonprofit organizations that recognize Juneteenth. The list includes industries ranging from technology to media to consumer goods, including Adobe, McKinsey & Company, Netflix, Ralph Lauren, and Spotify.
Despite these initiatives, many employees remain skeptical of their companies’ commitment to expanding diversity and fighting racism. A survey of employees at large and medium-sized companies by software company Benevity found that while workers did note companies make statements or pledges to support racial diversity, the impression is that relatively few have followed through: Only one in four notes that their employer is dedicated to their work. Company resources to address issues related to diversity and racism, and roughly the same number said their company donated money to support these goals. In total, about two-thirds of survey respondents who identified as a racial or ethnic minority said they could not say that their employer had fulfilled the commitments it made.
“So far, the staff has only seen the leadership speak the word, without the road.”
“So far, they have only seen driving speak the words, without the road,” the company said in a report summarizing the findings. “The best ways that employees have actually seen company leadership do so is through word-of-mouth, such as company-wide messages or talking more about these topics.”
The Society for Human Resource Management has also found that companies still grapple with racism and discrimination. A recent survey of employees found that 19 percent had experienced racial or ethnic discrimination within the past five years, and 14 percent said they had experienced racial discrimination within the past year.
According to SHRM’s survey of more than 1,000 HR professionals conducted earlier this year, more than one in four said their biggest challenge in 2021 was achieving the goals they set around diversity, equity and inclusion. Despite this, more than one in three people said getting greater momentum toward diversity, equity and inclusion goals was the aspect they were most optimistic about in 2021.
It makes business sense for companies to prioritize racial equality: New research from SHRM finds that it has cost US employers $172 billion in turnover costs over the past five years due to employees leaving because of discrimination or unfair treatment based on their race. The Benevity survey found that 37 percent of employees said they were more likely to quit if their company failed to prioritize tackling social and racial injustice.
Making the day a national holiday could give companies more incentive to celebrate the holiday, said Paul Argentina, professor of corporate communications at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. “I think this might be easier because it’s now a national holiday,” he said. “There should be no thinking.”
Yelp said Friday was a paid holiday for its employees. Apple said that employees (excluding retail and AppleCare workers) can take time off and participate in a series of programs and events. Google declared Friday a “no meetings” day, and Microsoft said it would provide its workers with educational content, according to CNBC.
A handful of large companies are beginning to recognize Juneteenth in 2020. Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey said last year that the two companies would celebrate the day as a corporate holiday. Representatives for Best Buy, Starbucks, Allstate, Target, Nike, Lyft and Zillow all said their companies are in their second year of recognizing Juneteenth as a company holiday.
Best Buy and Target said hourly employees will be paid half-time. Starbucks said salaried employees who had to work would get a day off in return, and hourly employees would get time and a half.
“Juneteenth has always been an important day for the black American community, but it hasn’t had the awareness or recognition it deserves among the other holidays we celebrate,” said Mark Irvine, Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Talent Officer at Best Buy. statement.
Other companies have announced educational initiatives and donations to racial justice or black empowerment groups. Facebook posted a video showing Tina Knowles-Lawson talking about the holiday, and using the Facebook and Instagram shopping platforms to promote Black-owned businesses. It also uses the Lift Black Voices Center — a resource the social media giant rolled out into its app last June — to promote information about Juneteenth and other educational content.
Amazon announced a $1 million donation and a range of virtual education offerings along with resources for readers and video consumers. The company is also promoting a live event it calls the inaugural “Juneteenth Unityfest” that features musical performances, storytelling and “the emergence of civic leaders and influencers”.
Tiffany Bowden, director of Amazon’s global diversity, equality, and inclusion program, wrote in the company’s blog post, though she also acknowledged the potential for stress and mixed emotions as well.
“This celebration is complex. As we rejoice in progress, we must continue to educate ourselves about our history to help guide our future,”
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