Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday announced that June 19, popularly called ‘Juneteenth’ was being declared as a company holiday at his companies Twitter and Square across the US from this year onwards. Sharing a link behind the historical significance of the day Dorsey stated that every region had their own days to celebrate emancipation and that he would ensure that such days are declared as company holidays across countries. “Countries and regions around the world have their own days to celebrate emancipation, and we will do the work to make those dates company holidays everywhere we are present,” he said. Juneteenth is one of the oldest nationally celebrated days and marks the end of slavery in the United States.
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This day assumes special significance during these times amid the raging Black Lives Matter protests across the globe. A widely seen bystander video showing a police officer pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck on May 25 sparked protests nationwide and around the world against police brutality and discrimination, after Floyd succumbed then and there, unable to breathe after the 8-minute-46-second ordeal. Protests against racism and police brutality have not only spread across the United States but countries across the globe such as Australia, France, Brazil, South Korea amongst others.
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Significance of Juneteenth
Juneteenth marks the end of slavery across the United States. This was the day Texas finally received news that the war was over almost two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln issued Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. While there are versions of why Texas received this information almost two years later in 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with the news. Juneteenth hence holds great significance for the African American community and celebrates their freedom and achievements.
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