Terakeet Makes Juneteenth Official Company Holiday
Jun 17, 2020|Read time: 1 min.
SYRACUSE, NY (June 17, 2020) — Effective Friday, June 19th, Syracuse-based SEO company Terakeet has permanently established Juneteenth as an official company holiday and its employees will no longer be observing Columbus Day.
Jennifer Thornton, Director of Human Resources, said in an email to Terakeet employees:
“This Friday is June 19, a date which has been celebrated in various ways since the 1860s and is most commonly known as Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, Union troops were finally able to overcome the resistance to the Emancipation Proclamation, two and a half years AFTER the executive order to end slavery. The holiday commemorates the date that ALL formerly enslaved people were freed from bondage in the United States.
We are disappointed in and regret how long it’s taken many of us to learn the history of Juneteenth and so many aspects of Black history in our country.
Syracuse, New York has a rich abolitionist history with strong ties to the Underground Railroad. Celebrating Juneteenth also honors that local history. We know that the abolishment of slavery didn’t prevent further injustice against the Black community, though we hope that in celebrating it we can renew our desire and campaign for justice today…and refresh ourselves for all of the work that still lies ahead.”
