Imagine that you were a slave in the mid to late 1800’s and two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was delivered you were told you were “free”. How would you feel? What would you do? Where would you go? These were some of the challenges that people faced on June 19, 1865. A day we now celebrate as Juneteenth. This time in history marks a day to celebrate not only freedom, but how generations upon generations impacted our culture today by their display of perseverance, resilience, and survival during a time of darkness in our nation’s history.
President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021, making Juneteenth the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day. While we observe Juneteenth by closing our offices on Monday, June 20, let’s take some time to reflect on what this day truly means. What can we do to celebrate Juneteenth?
- Support black-owned restaurants and businesses
- Support charities, causes and movements that fight discrimination and benefit black communities
- Reflect and educate ourselves by reading about Juneteenth’s history, watching documentaries or films or listening to podcasts that teach us about this day and present-day issues.
For our employees, we are excited to gather on June 23rd for a meeting with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) resource group. We will discuss DE&I recognition days, events, ways to get involved, and more!
Thank you,
Dave Taylor, CEO, Evenflo
Kristen Guy, Director, Talent Management + DEI