Juneteenth 2020: Several Companies, Government Offices Closing Doors On Day When Slavery Ended

This Friday's Juneteenth will be significantly different from previous years, with protests planned and companies giving employees the day off, for the first time. Companies like Nike and even the government of Delaware are closing their doors for the day.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated holiday to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. It is celebrated on June 19 , hence the name of the holiday, because it was on the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger landed in Texas to announce that the war had ended and those who were enslaved had become free.

In modern times, Juneteenth is celebrated via Juneteenth-centered activities, with the goal of promoting and educating people about African American history and culture. However, the Juneteenth this year, which is the 155th anniversary of the event, will be different, coming against the backdrop of protests against police brutality and racial injustice following the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks.

Last week, companies such as Twitter, the NFL and Nike, announced that they will officially observe Juneteeth as a paid holiday, and other companies have followed suit. These include Lyft, Mastercard, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Uber, Adobe, Best Buy, Target, JCPenney and Vox Media.

In a letter to employees, JCPenney CEO Jill Soltau noted the company's commitment to "do better" and "dig deeper" beyond its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

"As many of you know, JCPenney's original name was The Golden Rule. James Cash Penney's founding principle was that 'we must treat others as we want to be treated.' It is critical that we be there for one another as the nation continues to grieve and struggle to unite against racism," Soltau said. "In honor of Juneteenth, I am pleased to share that we are making June 19 an annual Company holiday."

Several banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and U.S. Bank will also close early to observe the holiday, while many other companies including Ben & Jerry's and Tumblr are oserving the holiday this year.

"From slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration, racism and state-sponsored, anti-Black and Brown violence have been a fact of life in America for 400 years," Ben & Jerry's said in a statement. "So this Juneteenth let's celebrate and support this growing nationwide movement to wrestle openly and honestly with that history in a way that has never been done before."

Some government offices are closing their doors for Juneteenth. Earlier in the week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday for state employees, and he is also planning to make it an official state holiday.

"Although slavery ended over 150 years ago, there has still been rampant, systemic discrimination and injustice in this state and this nation, and we have been working to enact real reforms to address these inequalities," Gov. Cuomo said in a statement.

Delaware Gov. John Carney is also closing state offices to mark Juneteenth and announced that the Delaware Heritage Commission and Delaware Historical Society will create a program to educate Delawareans on slavery and race. Carney also noted that next week, he will sign an executive order that will ban chokeholds and enforce additional training on de-escalation.

"Talk is cheap. We are committed to moving forward productively – and in good faith – to make real change in Delaware," Gov. Carney said in a statement. "That starts with recognizing our shared history, and learning the lessons of the past."