Written by Vicki Diaz, Senior Brand + Business Development Manager, Ideas Collide
Commemorating the day, the last enslaved Africans in the U.S. learned of their freedom – nearly three years after the emancipation proclamation was signed! Juneteenth has been a meaningful date for the Black community.
And over the years, as more conversations and learning opportunities arose, it was quickly and rightfully established that Juneteenth wasn’t just Black history but U.S. history. And in June 2021, Congress signed Juneteenth into law as an official U.S. Federal Holiday.
Though the most newly recognized federal holiday, Juneteenth has been celebrated and honored across organizations for years, including at Ideas Collide.
In 2020, Ideas Collide CEO + Founder Matthew Clyde met with his DEI advisory team to discuss how as an organization, they could better support and bring new thinking and awareness to DEIB. The group recommended that Juneteenth be recognized and established as a paid company holiday – giving team members the day off to reflect, honor, and engage with their community.
“Being ‘Diverse + Inclusive Collaborators’ is one of our core business values. So, it was important to us to honor our employees and the community we serve by recognizing this significant day. It’s not just an office closure, but a testament of who we are and our role as social advocates.”
—Mathew Clyde, Founder, Ideas Collide
The team took the awareness and awareness of Juneteenth further by sharing the decision with other clients and community partners. Immediately, three organizations adopted the same holiday approach and started to inspire others. Not only does the organization honor the holiday through paid time off, but more importantly, it provides learning opportunities for its team through year-round training, an engaged DEIB team, weekly volunteering time, and other educational and social interactions. And as more events around equality and social justice have played across our newsfeed, it’s become even more vital to reflect on history to learn, improve and take action for optimal social impact.
While acknowledging Juneteenth as a paid company holiday is a step in the right direction, it’s important to share that not every business is in a place to provide this paid time off and that there are other impactful actions you can take. Here are some ways you can honor the holiday in the workplace:
Ways to Honor and Commemorate Juneteenth in the Workplace
- Provide learning and training opportunities
Give your team the time and space to advance their insight and knowledge around key topics. Having a DEIB Committee can help streamline these efforts continuously and consistently. An internal committee will help give your team the space and community they need to ask questions, learn from others and create new experiences which all can benefit from. These can include bringing in a guest speaker, conducting Lunch & Learns, hosting monthly book reads and discussions to watching a short film and reflecting on the key takeaways.
- Support Black-owned businesses, community partners, team members and creators
One of the most important aspects of continued learning and advancement around equality and equity is giving underserved and unrepresented communities a chance to share their voice and perspective. As a result, your organization benefits and grows, and these community partners and team members will also feel empowered, seen and valued.
- Donate to and/or volunteer at organizations that help fight for racial justice, equality and equity.
Encourage team members to engage with community organizations and initiatives that speak to them – and then give them the time to go out and engage with them. For example, conduct a company-wide day of action or designate a certain amount of a week so that team members can stay connected to causes that mean something to them.
- Showcase your brand advocacy and thought leadership
Make an ongoing impact within your organization and review company values and goals to ensure they reflect what is important to your team members and community. Then, find ways for your organization to share all you have learned for others to reflect on through thought leadership content.