Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the emancipation of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. Although the Thirteenth Amendment was not passed until December of that year, Juneteenth became a celebratory day in the Black community that grew in popularity during the Civil Rights era.
On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas were free- two and a half years after slavery was abolished in the United States. On Juneteenth, we celebrate Black liberation. #Juneteenth ✊ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/26jx5fdDfx
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) June 19, 2020
This year, Juneteenth comes at the heels of a reinvigorated Black Lives Matter movement. Many corporations, eager to display support for the movement, are allowing their staff to take the day off.
Among them, Target, Nike , Spotify, Ben & Jerry’s and Twitter have said that they will observe the holiday this year. Companies like Facebook are using Juneteenth as a “day of learning.”
