Courtesy of ABC6
June 18, 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — A growing list of companies are now recognizing Juneteenth as a paid company holiday. It is an important day of remembrance and celebration for the black community every year.

On June 19, 1865, Union general Gordon Granger announced in Texas, all remaining slaves were to be freed. This happened more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Columbus Urban League Young Professionals president Nick Bankston said he is glad to see corporate America recognizing this. He said it’s also a great time to have more conversations about race and to speak out against racism in your community.

“It’s a day of reflection,” Bankston said. “It is a day of learning. It is a day of history. For white people in Columbus and really across the nation, it’s a chance to dig deeper. When we look at statistics, we can’t ignore that Black folks and African Americans are at the bottom. We are just at the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more work to do.”

President of the CUL Stephanie Hightower said it is a crucial part of our nation’s history, that should be recognized.

“We should not only be celebrating Black history and what it means in February,” Hightower said. “Black people are a part of American history. Juneteenth is a day that we think should be celebrated because it was the end of slavery.”

She said for years, Black families have had to schedule their celebrations around work. Now, some will have the day to honor their ancestors.

“For us, it usually ends up being a celebratory event at home. Part of systemic racism is no one is talking about history,” Hightower said. “No one wants to delve into what happened in history and how it relates to slavery.”

While it doesn’t fix the many racial issues the country faces, they said recognizing and talking about this history is a start.

By Jessi Starkey