Juneteenth: A Celebration of the Black Community

In 2021 Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday. Why is this important??

In the United States, we celebrate our freedom in different ways and on several occasions throughout the year. Most notably, Independence Day (the 4th?of July), which recognizes our freedom from Great Britain and our founding as an independent nation. On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who lost their lives protecting our freedom, a solemn and important time to reflect. And on Veteran’s Day, we honor everyone who served our country protecting our freedoms. This month we’re celebrating Pride Month, a federal holiday since 1999, to recognize the freedom to be who we are and love who we love. In my view, these holidays should not only remind us of the freedom we enjoy but encourage us to continue to act to protect our freedoms and the freedoms of everyone around us.?

Freedom can sometimes be hard to explain, especially to so many of us who have always enjoyed it. But never was there a clearer example of the importance of freedom than in the case of slavery. And while it’s hard to imagine, slavery was a part of our history in this country, one that we should not and cannot forget. And, even when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863, it took over two years for all the slaves to be freed across the United States.?

Juneteenth, also named Freedom Day, celebrates this monumental moment in American history, which, for far too long, remained unrecognized by much of our nation. The establishment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday came on the heels of a series of tragic events, fueled by the continued presence of systemic racism – George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others – and the injustices still faced by the Black community today.?

For Black Americans, Juneteenth is and has been a joyous, triumphant holiday filled with music, food, and communal celebrations. And for those of us who are not part of the Black community, Juneteenth is a day for us to show our support, commit to educating ourselves and our children about our nation’s history, even when we are not at our best, and work toward a future that is inclusive and equitable for everyone. Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

We should celebrate and protect freedom for everyone. That is our task and we need to remember that protecting freedom and the rights of others provides us the same protections. We’re all in this together, as Americans and as people.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday, not an optional one. We recognize it as such and ideally, we take the day to recognize the contributions of the Black community . . . both within our company and across the world. At Transcarent, our first value is?People. This means serving our Members and supporting our colleagues. To do both, it’s important that we take advantage of the time that is given to us during company holidays to become more educated on their meaning, give back to communities that are being recognized, and allow those honoring the day to be present however they may choose.?

Our mission at Transcarent is to make it easy for people to?access?high-quality, affordable, health and care. Access means 24x7x365 . . . we never shut down. So, I want to recognize the members of our Transcarent Clinic and our Care Support Services team who have stepped up to provide support and care for our Members during this holiday which allows us to deliver on our promise of always being there.

I would encourage people to honor the day . . . it’s not meant to be business as usual . . . and use the extra time as an opportunity to educate yourself on this important part of our history.

A few Juneteenth resources:?

• Watch Amanda Gorman’s hopeful poem “The Hill We Climb.”
• Read W.E.B Du Bois’ “Black Reconstruction” on Juneteenth and the events that followed.
• Explore NAACP-led?legislative changes?that support equality.