Juneteenth stalls as a paid day off for private employers
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The growth of Juneteenth as a paid day off for private companies has severely slowed three years after it became a federal holiday, according to a survey from Mercer.
Why it matters: The day celebrating Black emancipation from enslavement gained traction in 2020 amid discussions of racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
- President Biden signed legislation in June 2021 for the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.
Driving the news: 41% of large employers with 500 or more employees are observing Juneteenth this year and have made it a paid holiday, consulting firm Mercer told Axios.
- That's up from 39% last year and up from 9% in 2021, according to Mercer data.
Context: Juneteenth recognizes the day in 1865 when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, which came more than two months after the Civil War ended.
- June 19 is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Jubilee Day.
- The holiday commemorates the formal end of slavery in the United States.
What they're saying: Donald Blair, author of "Confessions of a Racist: A View from the Middle Majority," told Axios that Juneteenth has grown because of a "bottom-up movement" or grassroots effort.
- "Juneteenth has quickly grown in recognition in the past five years, and has been embraced as a holiday by a growing wave of employers in the private sector," Blair said, noting companies show a higher level of commitment to diversity.
Banks, USPS closed Juneteenth 2024; stores open
State of play: U.S. stock markets, banks and the U.S. Postal Service are closed Wednesday during the holiday.
- Companies including Nike, Target, Starbucks and Best Buy recognize Juneteenth with time and a half pay for employees who work and usually a day off for corporate employees.
Juneteenth as a state holiday
Between the lines: 29 states and Washington, D.C., are legally recognizing Juneteenth as a public holiday this year, and government offices are closed.
- Vermont designated Juneteenth for the first time this year. Five states made the day a legal holiday in 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service.
- 2024 is also the first time Kansas has Juneteenth as a state holiday with executive branch state offices in Gov. Laura Kelly's authority closed Wednesday.
- Other states commemorate Juneteenth as a day of observance and cities across the country have also declared it an official paid holiday.
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