Reflecting on Juneteenth: Celebrating, Learning, and Building a Better World

Over the weekend, I thought about why it’s important for all Americans to celebrate Juneteenth, and why I’m proud VitalSource makes time for our employees to celebrate it as one of our company holidays. My family and I celebrated today by attending the Juneteenth celebration at Jimi Hendrix Park in Seattle. It was a great afternoon: we listened to speakers like co-founder of the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party and international DEI consultant Elmer Dixon talk about justice work remaining to be done, ate amazing food, and supported local businesses. It was great to connect with Elmer, whom I interviewed with a colleague for an article on DEI training a couple of years ago.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free, fully two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It symbolizes progress toward freedom, equality, and justice, but also reminds us of the work that remains to be done in our country and our communities.

Although it is a newer federal holiday little-known to many Americans until recently, Juneteenth has been celebrated as a day of liberation and freedom by Black Americans since 1865. Today, we have the opportunity to learn about the importance of this historic day and what it means for all of us as Americans. Dee Evans, Vice Chair and National Director of Communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, captures why it is so important: “In 1776 the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free. June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.” She nails it: before Juneteenth, when Black Americans were enslaved, America wasn’t a free country. After Juneteenth, our country began living up to its promise of freedom, equality, and justice. The National Museum of African American History and Culture sums it up well: “Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day.”

Of course, Juneteenth didn’t achieve freedom and justice for all – the struggles of the last ~160 years of our history, and the many challenges we still face today are testament to that. But in the midst of many ongoing challenges, Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the freedoms we have achieved in our country, learn from our history, and set our sights on the hard work that remains for us to build communities where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.

At Intrepid by VitalSource , we have the power to make a difference at work and in our communities. At work, we have the special privilege of building and delivering a collaborative learning technology that helps people learn and build new skills that make lives better. And through our work together, we strive to be a team that listens to, learns from, and celebrates each other. This year, we have a new volunteer day benefit to help us serve in our communities. This past Friday, I spent half a day chaperoning my son’s class field trip to the zoo here in Seattle. Admittedly, this was pretty basic volunteer duty, but it was great to help the kids learn and have fun (pro tip: don’t miss the river otters at the Woodland Park Zoo ).

I’m proud to lead a talented and diverse team of people at Intrepid who are committed to learning, growing and improving. And I’m grateful that VitalSource recognizes Juneteenth as a holiday, which gives us all the opportunity to celebrate, reflect, learn, grow and serve in meaningful ways.

What does Juneteenth mean to you??How do you celebrate??