Rosa Nunez, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the law firm Foley Hoag, argues that nodding to the holiday without paid leave is insufficient. Reactions to these corporate policies vary, with some rejecting them as empty symbolism while others welcome them as a sign of inclusivity and attention to racial issues. Some started the practice last year, after the racial reckoning prompted by the murder of George Floyd. Many businesses had already planned to mark the holiday. while many others were already planning to observe Juneteenth She said the university is committed to recognizing the holiday and working on the details for what it will do in the future. But shutting down a large research institution and hospital without more advance notice "could create a level of disruption or uncertainty" that would be counterproductive. Jones said she was excited (and surprised) that the federal government and the state of Alabama moved so quickly to create the new holiday. "There just was not enough time to plan and prepare to announce and implement this holiday appropriately," Alesia Jones, the head of human resources at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, told NPR. Stanley Black & Decker announced late Thursday that it would take Friday off for "hope and healing" and would honor the new federal holiday in future years as well.īut many others stuck with their previous plans, saying it was just too tough to declare a day off without more warning. But a small number of businesses acted swiftly to observe the holiday - even with just a few hours' notice. įederal holidays aren't mandatory for businesses in the U.S. There was no consistent strategy: For instance, Baltimore City schools closed, while Baltimore County schools stayed open.īusinesses and nonprofits aren't required to close, and some had to swiftly decide whether to pivot. Similarly, school districts that usually honor federal holidays had to individually decide whether to stay open on Friday, or shut with very little notice to families. Some federal courts shut down, but not all did. Postal Service remained open, expressing support for the holiday but saying that it is "not possible to cease the operations of the Postal Service" with just 24 to 48 hours to plan for it. Many "nonessential" government offices did shut down. They typically observe federal holidays, but this time, there have been a variety of outcomes. Some government agencies remain open, citing short noticeĮstablishing a new federal holiday - effective immediately - caused some scrambling at courts and government agencies. The move comes after growing support nationwide for observing the day of celebration and reflection.īut actual practices for marking the holiday still vary widely. Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery by marking the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, is now a federal holiday. The day in 1865 that the last enslaved Black people learned they had been freed under the Emancipation Proclamation is now a federal holiday.įederal courts? Schools? Banks? Businesses? It depends. Mannequins in a clothing shop are posed to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Juneteenth in Washington, D.C.
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