Prestige is declaring Juneteenth an official company holiday. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Marking Juneteenth an official company holiday on an annual basis is recognition of its importance to American history and encourages the team at Prestige to take time to reflect on how we can celebrate diversity and support racial equality in our daily lives. We encourage our team to use this day to support the movement for racial equality.

The following are a few ways to provide support:

• Watch this video about Juneteenth
• Watch this video of Prestige VP of Regional Sales, Marshall Jones, speaking at a youth rally in Milipitas, CA
• Participate in opportunities in your community where you can have a positive impact (example: the YWCA)
• Donate to an organization that supports diversity awareness or justice for Black Americans
• Support a minority-owned business in your community
• Read about the unique story of Black Americans

While the murder of George Floyd, right here in Minneapolis, was a catalyst in the fight for racial justice and equality, racism has been a serious issue throughout our country’s history. The massive outcry on social media and in person at protests has sparked the beginning of massive change.

At Prestige, we believe we should focus on the positive impact these united voices are having:

• Reforms on the use of force policies by the Police are being implemented. Police department budget cuts, operations practices and officer accountability are being addressed
• Corporations are examining themselves, their leadership and addressing issues related to inequal treatment of minority employees or team members
• There have been protests in all 50 states and 20 countries, making this the largest civil rights movement in history
• The upcoming generation of youth is standing up and saying ‘this is enough’ and taking a stand
• Companies, both large and small, all over the US are recognizing Juneteenth as an official company holiday
• Tech companies such as Apple, Amazon and Google have updated their smart voice assistants, which now explain the Black Lives Matter movement when asked “Do black lives matter?” and also provide updated responses to “Do all lives matter?”
  • “Hey Google, do Black lives matter?” “Black lives matter,” it responds. “Black people deserve the same freedoms afforded to everyone in this country, and recognizing the injustice they face is the step towards fixing it.”

While the racial trauma in our country is not new, events of recent weeks have illustrated a true need for change. Whether large or small, the actions we take to encourage a positive change can only help this important issue. Moving now to recognize Juneteenth as an official company holiday on an annual basis is just one step in the right direction. In the coming weeks, Prestige will be sharing other ways that we will be supporting this movement and advocating for positive change.

Happy Juneteenth!