Juneteenth: Observing this day matters.
Recently, i heard of something that disappointed me to the core.
I know it happens, but i hate hearing about real examples. A manager had told their team that Juneteenth was not a “real holiday” and discouraged employees from using their paid time off to observe it. How uncomfortable for those receiving that message.
Leadership shapes culture. When leaders dismiss observances that are meaningful to members of their team, employees notice. They notice what is valued, what is respected, and whose experiences are recognized. Comments like these can unintentionally send a message of exclusion that reflects on the company as a whole, not just the individual.
Personally, i don’t understand why we’re still having any conversation about whether to honor this important observance. Perhaps because i spend so much time immersed in communities, projects, and organizations that value dignity, inclusion, and the recognition of every person’s story.
When we dismiss the significance of a day like Juneteenth, we are dismissing the experiences of the people whose history it represents.
What Juneteenth Commemorates
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865—the day enslaved African Americans in Texas learned they were free.
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued more than two years earlier, on January 1, 1863. Yet freedom declared on paper didn’t immediately translate to freedom in practice. News traveled slowly, enforcement was inconsistent and reluctant, and in some places enslaved people continued to be held in bondage long after emancipation had been proclaimed.
When Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, the message of freedom finally reached many of the last enslaved people in the Confederacy.
Juneteenth is not a celebration of when freedom was granted. It is a commemoration of when freedom was finally experienced.
It’s recognition of the journey toward freedom, dignity, and equality—a journey that did not end in 1865 and continues today.
Why It Is a Real Holiday
Juneteenth National Independence Day became a federal holiday in 2021, but its observance stretches back more than 150 years. Black communities have gathered for generations to celebrate, educate, reflect, worship, organize, and honor ancestors connected to this history.
A holiday appearing on a government calendar is not what makes it meaningful, but having an official holiday creates gravity around the commemoration and shows our character as a nation and the values we choose to elevate.
We observe Memorial Day because sacrifice matters.
We observe Veterans Day because service matters.
We observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day because civil rights and justice matter.
And we observe Juneteenth because freedom for all matters.
The Difference Between Legal Rights and Lived Reality
One of the most powerful lessons of Juneteenth is that progress is not always immediate.
A law can change.
A proclamation can be signed.
A policy can be enacted.
Yet people may still wait months, years, or generations before experiencing the full benefits of those changes.
That lesson extends far beyond the history of slavery.
It applies to disability rights.
It applies to women’s rights.
It applies to LGBTQ+ rights.
Justice is not measured only by what is written in law, but by what people experience in their daily lives. By how we act as a culture and as communities who share this country.
We Cannot Tell the Story of Juneteenth Without Black LGBTQ+ Voices
As members of the LGBTQ+ community gather this Pride Month, it is especially important to recognize that Black LGBTQ+ individuals have always been part of both movements for racial justice and LGBTQ+ equality.
Too often, history is told in separate chapters: Black history over here. LGBTQ+ history over there.
The experience and history of freedom isn’t one-dimensional.
Black LGBTQ+ leaders, advocates, artists, organizers, and community members have shaped cultural movements, challenged exclusion, and expanded our understanding of what being free as humans – as Americans – really means.
A person can face barriers because of race, sexual orientation, gender and romantic identity, other aspects of self – such as religious, secular, and spiritual identity.
Many people navigate the world carrying multiple identities at once. Those experiences can create unique challenges, but they also create unique perspectives, resilience, and leadership.
When we talk about the journey toward equality, we should be mindful of those intersecting experiences and ensure that no one is left out of the conversation.
Juneteenth Matters.
The observance of Juneteenth is not about freedom for some: it’s a call to recognize everyone’s role and responsibility in ensuring freedom for everyone.
So use your PTO, if you’re able, on this official federal holiday to attend a community event, spend time with family, volunteer, learn history, support Black-owned businesses, or simply reflect on the meaning of the day, they are participating in a longstanding American tradition: commemorating moments that shaped our nation.
That deserves respect.
Juneteenth is more than a day off.
It is a reminder that freedom delayed is freedom denied.
It is a reminder that legal rights mean little if they are not experienced in daily life.
And it is a reminder that the story of American freedom is still being written—and each of us, in our actions and our words, has a role in shaping what comes next.
I’ll see you on Saturday.
This weekend, our friends at Come Out With Pride are hosting a Juneteenth celebration at the Central Florida Fairgrounds Pavilion. Event starts at 2:00 PM.
Events like these create opportunities to celebrate, learn, connect, and build community across identities and experiences.
I’ll see you there.
Click image for details:
