For a country that loves independence, it’s taken remarkably long for the nation to celebrate the one time its citizens were truly freed from bondage.
Juneteenth — also known as Freedom Day and Emancipation Day — commemorates the symbolic end of slavery in America, and has finally been made a federal holiday.
During the Civil War, slavery in Confederate areas continued until Union troops arrived to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation through military might. As such, Texas was the last bastion of slavery in former Confederate territory — with 250,000 enslaved people held within its borders — and on June 19, 1865, Union troops landed at the island city of Galveston on the Texas Gulf Coast.
U.S. General Gordon Granger then read aloud General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that “all slaves are free.”
Although emancipation took longer for some than others, celebrations immediately broke out and Juneteenth was born. Since that day, more and more states have made Juneteenth a paid state holiday, and in 2021 it became a national holiday as well.
In the tech world, many companies have stepped up to create Juneteenth celebrations of their own. Built In Chicago sat down with TransUnion and Zoro to learn more about the meaningful ways they celebrate and honor Juneteenth, and continue the long journey toward equity and inclusion for all people.
Lisa Jenkins is senior manager of financial planning and analysis at TransUnion, a platform for global information and insights. This year, her company is celebrating Juneteenth as a company holiday with dedicated programming that will offer education, resources and activities. In addition, the company has committed to a new training program and a wide variety of year-round DEI initiatives.
How is your company honoring Juneteenth this year?
TransUnion will be honoring Juneteenth as a company holiday to recognize this important day. Associates around the globe are encouraged to use this time to educate and reflect on the effects of inequality amongst members of Black communities everywhere. Internally, our Employee Resource Group (ERG), African-Diaspora Alliance Network (ADAN), will host a virtual event that will include education, resources and additional activities to honor Juneteenth. ADAN’s mission is to be a resource to all associates by educating and celebrating the African-Diaspora culture.
As president of our internal ERG, I value and appreciate that I work for a company that not only recognizes the importance of cultural events, but also prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion. While acknowledging and celebrating our differences are important, real change happens when we acknowledge equity and enable inclusion.
While acknowledging and celebrating our differences are important, real change happens when we acknowledge equity and enable inclusion.”
What are some ongoing programs, initiatives or benefits your company offers to support and empower Black employees throughout the year?
At TransUnion, we’re committed to advancing DEI at every stage of the associate lifecycle. As it can be seen in our 2020 Diversity Report, we’re continuously working toward building an environment that supports women, the LGBTQ+ community and people of all races and ethnicities.
We invested in a new training program — Getting Comfortable Talking about Difference — for all managers around the globe. During the training, managers were educated on critical issues of bias and race, and gained tools for tackling challenging conversations. Each manager was also charged with developing their own personal commitment to advancing inclusion within their team.
Additional Ongoing Programs and Initiatives at TransUnion
- ERG programing
- Celebration of Black culture (Black History Month and Juneteenth)
- Discussion platforms between leadership and Black associates
- Mental health support for Black associates
- Development opportunities for Black associates
- Engagement and education through ‘Coffee and Conversations’ and internal podcasts
- Committee to review products, policies and practices
- Ensured charitable contributions
- Internal DEI web pages
At Zoro, an e-commerce platform that sells business supplies, equipment and tools, HR Specialist Tahla Wade has led the effort to celebrate Juneteenth through embracing the cultural experiences of Black Americans. This year, Wade plans to center that conversation on a celebration of cuisine. Through the prism of this cultural expression, employees at Zoro will also be educated on the history of Juneteenth and encouraged to give back to the Black community.
How is your company honoring Juneteenth this year? Please share any specific initiatives, actions or events you have planned.
While Zoro is still in a mostly virtual state, we plan on celebrating Juneteenth this year by highlighting a piece of the Black American experience: Southern cuisine. Through various virtual experiences, such as a team member cookbook and a live cooking class, we plan to share and discuss what Black cuisine means to the celebration of Juneteenth while sharing the history of the holiday as well. We also encourage our team to get out and give back to the communities around us by highlighting local charities and initiatives reaching the Black community.
Aside from donating to charities and causes that support Black communities, we’ve partnered with Black-owned businesses in the communities in which we work and live.”
What are some ongoing programs, initiatives or benefits your company offers to support and empower Black employees throughout the year?
At Zoro, we continuously strive to inspire our team members by communicating internally what’s going on in the world around us. We take pride in hearing from our Black colleagues and amplifying their voices by creating learning experiences that influence or build awareness.
Throughout the year, we carve out time to hear from our colleagues about their experiences through our Catalyst for Change discussions and Slack channel. These discussions have served as a forum for our Black team members to celebrate advancements and also discuss more challenging topics that are faced day to day with other team members.
Another way we support and empower our Black employees is through community impact. Aside from donating to charities and causes that support Black communities, we’ve partnered with Black-owned businesses in the communities in which we work and live. From give-back days with a local restaurant, Lizzy J’s Cafe, to promoting skincare brand, Kaike, we’ve taken pride in connecting with businesses around us to amplify the work and voices of those in our community.
