Paid Holidays, Education, Community Service: How Is Corporate America Commemorating Juneteenth?

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the world, Friday’s Juneteenth holiday looks to be the most celebrated in U.S. history as several companies said they would recognize the importance of the date.

Juneteenth was created to commemorate the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. While the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863, many slaves still in the South did not know President Abraham Lincoln had granted them freedom. Granger was one of several Union generals and officials sent across the South following the war to inform slaves they had been freed and their owners had to comply.

Corporate America’s decision to recognize and honor the holiday acts as a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and their commitment to fight racial inequality. Twitter (TWTR), Nike (NKE), Postmates, Lyft (LYFT) and the NFL were among several companies saying they would recognize Juneteenth as a paid company holiday.

Amazon (AMZN) ordered employees to cancel all meetings and instead partake in several “online learning opportunities” to educate themselves about the date’s importance to the black community.

“This Friday, June 19, is Juneteenth, the oldest-known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. I’m canceling all of my meetings on Friday, and I encourage all of you to do the same if you can,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in an email to employees. “We’re providing a range of online learning opportunities for employees throughout the day.”

Electronics retailer BestBuy offered a “paid volunteer day” to employees if they wish to join peaceful protests or perform community service on Friday or one day this year.

“Given that this Friday is the celebration of the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans — known since June 19, 1865, as “Juneteenth” — we have made the decision to give all employees a paid volunteer day that can be used this Friday or any day this year for any of these purposes,” BestBuy said in a press release.

“Starting next year, Juneteenth will become a formal, paid company holiday. We made the decision to begin this next year only because June 19 is just a few days away, and we wanted to give as much flexibility as possible to accommodate individual schedules.”

General Motors (GM) is taking a more timely approach to honoring Juneteenth by taking two moments of silence during the day in remembrance of George Floyd. GM President Mark Reuss said anyone working would be asked to stop working and remain silent for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time during which former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, killing him. The first moment was at 8:46 a.m. and the second is planned for 8:46 p.m.

“I really believe eight-plus minutes of solid reflection will benefit everyone,” Reuss wrote in an email to employees. “I’m sure many of you have felt the same glut of emotions I have while watching recent events unfold … disbelief, anger, shame, grief, and ultimately heartbreak. This is not who we are as humankind, nor as a country.”

Some entities are taking direct action against states, calling on leadership to do away from Confederate symbols supporters argue represent the state’s “heritage.” The Southeastern Conference, or SEC, took one of the strongest stances as it threatened to not hold any upcoming college sports events in Mississippi unless the state’s flag, which sports a Confederate emblem, is changed.

“It is past time for change to be made to the flag of the state of Mississippi,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told ESPN. “Our students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all.”

Along with corporate America, many on Capitol Hill are also finding ways to commemorate Juneteenth and show their support for racial equality. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took one of the most notable steps yet, ordering portraits of former House speakers who joined the Confederacy to be taken down.

Pelosi’s decision is in-line with many state and local officials who have ordered the removal of Confederate iconography around the U.S. South in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Some have taken it a step further, saying Juneteenth should be made a national holiday outright. One of those voices is Jamaal Bowman, a House of Representatives-hopeful looking to unseat entrenched New York Rep. Eliot Engel. Bowman spoke about the date’s importance and why it should be recognized as a holiday in a report from The Nation published on Friday.

“Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day, Juneteenth is celebrated by millions of African Americans each year. It’s a celebration of liberation, of the end of slavery and opportunity for black people to not just be free but to finally live with self-determination and collective actualization after 246 years of bondage,” Bowman said.

“Making Juneteenth a federal holiday would be far more than a symbolic gesture. It would provide space for growth as a nation. It’s a day for celebration, but also a day for education.”