Source: LEON NEAL / Getty
These companies get it!
Juneteenth is an American holiday celebrated annually on June 19. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union general read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them almost two and a half years earlier, and the American Civil War had largely ended with the defeat of the Confederate States in April, Texas was the most remote of the slave states, with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent.
By the 21st century, Juneteenth was celebrated in most major cities across the United States. Activists are pushing Congress to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday. Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in 47 of the 50 states. (Hawaii, North and South Dakota do not observe it)
Some companies have decided to make Juneteenth a paid holiday.
Some companies are:
Twitter, Lyft, EventBrite, MasterCard, BuzzFeed, and Square are some of the recognizable names.
Click here to see other companies.
