Sound President & CEO, Patrick Evans announced that the organization will recognize Juneteenth as a paid company holiday, beginning in 2021. On June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Specifically, it recognizes the date in 1865 when the Union army informed the last remaining enslaved African Americans in Texas that they were free — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation as signed by Abraham Lincoln.
Though the slaves were freed, they still faced discrimination, hardships, violence, and even death for another century until the Civil Rights Movement occurred in the 1960s. In addition, the hardships continue today which have resulted in worldwide protests over the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.
“Sound believes that it is important to observe this very important date in our country’s history,” Evans said, “I am pleased that we can offer our team members and clients a special day to reflect upon and celebrate the liberation of enslaved African Americans from the atrocities they faced for far too long.”
Click here to learn more about Juneteenth.