The Atlanta Hawks are the first NBA team to make Juneteenth a paid company holiday for all employees.
Juneteenth is a reference to June 19, 1865, when the enslaved were finally declared free after the end of the Civil War over two months earlier.
The Hawks announce they have designated Juneteenth as a permanent paid company holiday for all its employees. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 14, 2020
Camye Mackey spoke about the decision on Sunday (via Dime):
“I am proud of the decision our organization has made to recognize Juneteenth as a company holiday this year and going forward,” said Camye Mackey, Chief People, Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena. “This is one of many steps we’ll take to support the positive change we need to see in society.”
The Hawks have joined a number of other organizations in recognizing Juneteenth, including Nike.
Though the date commemorates the abolishment of slavery in the United States, it has taken on added significance amid the current social environment.
Protestors have lined the streets of major cities throughout America in the last three weeks following the murder of George Floyd. While participants have demanded an end to police brutality, there is also a heightened awareness of the racial injustices Black Americans still deal with on a daily basis.
There was also a good deal of controversy when President Donald Trump announced he would hold a rally for his reelection campaign in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Juneteenth. Tulsa was the site of one of the most infamous race massacres in history in 1921. Trump has since moved the date of the rally, though it will still be held in Tulsa.
The Hawks might be the first NBA team to formally recognize Juneteenth as a paid company holiday, though others are likely to follow.
Players and executives throughout the NBA have been among the most vocal on matters of racial inequities as of late. It would hardly be a surprise to see other teams follow Atlanta's lead in marking Juneteenth on their respective calendars.
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