What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth, which combines the words, “June” & “nineteen,” is an annual holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the state of Texas and other confederate states in 1865. Slavery in the United States was legally abolished two years prior in 1863 when former President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Southern confederate states, however, continued to practice slavery, and it wasn’t until December 6, 1865, under the 13th amendment that all enslaved people in the United States were set free.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when all enslaved people were granted their freedom and honors the sacrifices made by African Americans in building the United States. And although Juneteenth began in 1865, it wasn’t until 2021 (around the same time the Black Lives Matter movement started) that President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
To learn more about the history surrounding Juneteenth, check out the video below.
How & Why We Celebrate
There are several ways you can support & celebrate Juneteenth at your business and in your community. For example, you can host in-office activities, like lunch & learns or virtual events. The goal is to enhance cultural awareness among your employees, as well as honor Juneteenth and the legacy of Black history.
Let’s look into more specific ways your business can get involved.
Decorate Your Workplace
Decorating your salon or studio with colors that represent Juneteenth & Black history is a great way to show honor. A flag was created in 1977 by activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation. Its colors are red, blue & white (purposely mimicking the American flag to convey that the enslaved were also Americans) with a white star (representing the Texas lone star) and a rising arc (representing the rise of the enslaved).
The colors that represent Black history and the Pan-African flag are red, green, and black.
- Red – for the blood, sweat and tears shed by the enslaved
- Green – for land the Africans were taken from and the land they cultivated in America & countries around the world
- Black – for the many shades & hues of Black skin
As an activity, you can have employees design decorations (posters or banners) using these colors or even hang flags around your workplace.
Throw a Company BBQ
Who doesn’t love a good BBQ in the summer? With Juneteenth being in June, it’s a great time to get outdoors and have some fun! Your business can host a BBQ at a local park and invite employees & clients. Plus, you can make it a budget-friendly event and ask people to bring their favorite dishes. Or you can support a Black-owned business by hiring a caterer for the event.
Plus, you can decorate the BBQ area with Juneteenth-colored party favors & décor.
Have a Trivia Contest
Another fun way to educate and get people involved is to play trivia games. To play, you can:
- Separate employees into two teams
- Set up a white board (in a break area or someplace where employees can see it)
- Then, for the month of June or just the week of the 19th, post a new question about Juneteenth or Black history.
- Have each team post their responses, and at the end of the time period, reveal the answers & winners!
Some prompts you can ask are:
- What year did slavery end in the U.S.?
- Who wrote the Emancipation Proclamation?
- Was the Union army part of the northern or southern states?
- What do the colors of the Juneteenth flag represent?
- Name one abolitionist that fought against slavery.
And as an incentive to participate, offer prizes to the team that wins, like half a day off (paid) or a free lunch on behalf of your business. The point is to educate while also having fun!
These are just a few ways your business can support Juneteenth. You can also host virtual events, take museum tours, or donate to African-based organizations—the possibilities are endless. What’s important is to recognize and honor the sacrifices & contributions made by people of African descent. Their struggles, strength and resilience have helped to define and shape the world as we all know it today.
May we never forget the history of humankind & may we teach it to generations to come in order to never repeat the same atrocities. And in the meantime, we will continue to celebrate the strength, fortitude of spirit & accomplishments of Black people everywhere.
The life of a nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous. –Frederick Douglass
To find Black-owned businesses in your area, visit the Vagaro Marketplace.
