06/16/2023

Strategic HR Explains Juneteenth

Here are some ways we can celebrate it in the workplace

HR Question: I know Juneteenth is an official federal holiday, but I don't know much about it. What is its significance and how can we reflect that in the workplace?

HR Answer: This is a great question, and an important one at that! Here at Strategic HR, we want to recognize the importance and deep meaning behind the history and celebrations of Juneteenth. There is no better way to do so, in our opinion, than to lift and highlight the voices of those who have ties to the joy and the sorrows behind this day. Narcissa Murphy, one of our Cincinnati-based HR business advisors, shared what Juneteenth means to her and her thoughts on how workplaces can embrace the celebration.

Narcissa’s Experience: Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, a day once observed as African American Emancipation Day. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was passed two years prior and the 13^th amendment six months prior [to it], enslaved people in Galveston, Texas would not be notified about their freedom until Union troops arrived to share the word. In 2021, Juneteenth was signed in as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden.

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