The Juneteenth Foundation Unites Corporate and Nonprofit Organizations to Celebrate Freedom and Black Culture during Inaugural Freedom Festival
The Juneteenth Foundation's Freedom Festival will engage members of Congress, community activists, celebrities and stakeholders in a series of in-person and virtual events to celebrate freedom, excellence in Black culture and spark a movement to officially recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday by the U.S. Congress.
WASHINGTON, June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, The Juneteenth Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, announces a list of more than a dozen leading corporate and nonprofit sponsors that have pledged to take actionable steps to recognize Juneteenth, an annual holiday on June 19th that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. With the support of The Foundation's sponsors, the organization will host its inaugural Freedom Festival to celebrate Juneteenth this year.
The Foundation's Freedom Festival will engage members of Congress, community activists, celebrities and stakeholders in a series of in-person and virtual events to celebrate freedom, excellence in Black culture and spark a movement to officially recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday by the U.S. Congress.
"Juneteenth is not just a Black holiday, it marks the nation's second Independence Day and should be viewed as a significant milestone in our history by all Americans," said Laquan Austion, CEO and Founder of The Juneteenth Foundation. "We are thankful to have the partnership of many incredible corporate and nonprofit partners committed to taking action that will embody our founding principles of 'liberty and justice for all.'"
The Freedom Festival takes place on June 18-19 and will include four events, starting with The Juneteenth Reflection panels—where corporations evaluate how they support the Black community—and conclude with the virtual Juneteenth Freedom Concert—which will be headlined by famous rapper, T.I. Other events during this two-day festival include the Juneteenth Freedom Reception to honor the next generation of Black scholars with scholarships and a Virtual Career Panel and Fair to provide job seekers access to the nation's most recognizable corporations.
Currently, 16 leading private and nonprofit organizations have pledged to support The Freedom Festival's virtual and Washington, D.C.-based events to celebrate Black culture. The Foundation's partners include:
- A2 Partners
- Ashley Stewart
- The Congressional Black Caucus Institute
- CURA Strategies
- Discord
- Door Dash
- Eaze
- For(bes): The Culture
- Forbes
- General Motors
- HBCU 2020
- Live Nation Entertainment
- Lyft
- National Black Chamber of Commerce
- The Obama Foundation
- Our Black Party
"In recognition of Juneteenth, Ashley Stewart will close all stores for the second year in a row, providing paid time off to encourage reflection, education and advocacy," said Gary Sheinbaum, CEO of Ashley Stewart. "In addition to providing paid time off for all employees, we're grateful to take one more actionable step towards racial justice and equity through our partnership with The Juneteenth Foundation."
To take meaningful steps towards more inclusive and equitable work environments, The Juneteenth Foundation has asked corporations to make a pledge that includes the following:
- Give employees and contractors a paid day off and offer Juneteenth as a day of advocacy and involvement so staff may volunteer in their communities
- Publicly and transparently share the organization's diversity metrics as well as outlines for plans to expand and develop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace
- Match employee donations to social justice organizations, civil rights organizations or to historically black colleges and universities
The Juneteenth Foundation's Freedom Festival offers corporate partners and industry leaders a platform to discuss how their organizations are working to improve workplace culture and expand corporate diversity and inclusion programing. Organizations interested in joining as a partner or participating in one of the Freedom Festival events can contact Alicia Austion at [email protected] to learn more.
For a complete schedule of events or to register to attend the Freedom Festival, please visit https:thejuneteenthfoundation.com/freedomfest.
The Juneteenth Foundation is a 501(C)3 organization dedicated to the national recognition of Juneteenth and the celebration of freedom and black culture. The Foundation organizes initiatives and events that call attention to the historical significance of Juneteenth and supports corporate and citizen engagement surrounding healing and advocacy for Black Americans. To learn more, please visit https://thejuneteenthfoundation.com/freedomfest/.
Media Contact
Alex Dinkel, The Juneteenth Foundation, 303-860-3084, [email protected]
SOURCE The Juneteenth Foundation
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