Today our office is closed in honor of Juneteenth, the federal holiday honoring the day in 1865 when Union soldiers delivered the news of freedom to Black people who were enslaved in Galveston, Texas. It was only two years ago that President Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday, but our country has honored this incredibly important historical event for decades. As the U.S. continues to fight against racism and hatred, taking the time to reflect on the hardships Black people have overcome and continue to face daily is critically important.
Just as the entire month of June is dedicated to love and acceptance for Pride Month, Juneteenth is another day dedicated to celebrating diversity and is representative of the Black communities’ fight for equality. June 19 was the date that Texas, the last state to do so, finally agreed to end slavery and honor the Emancipation Proclamation. Now here we are in 2023, and there are still many people and states that refuse to recognize and/or honor Black history. We at BOCA believe we all play a role in making this world a more inclusive and accepting place, so we do everything we can as a company to move our country forward. This past February, in honor of Black History Month, BOCA proudly donated to the NAACP as a part of our monthly donation matching program. Supporting the causes that matter most to us is a large part of who we are as a team and as a company.
This was the fourth year BOCA closed its doors on Juneteenth, and we were not alone. While all federal employers must give employees a paid day off, there are more and more private companies that are coming aboard and doing the same — including Target, Mastercard, Twitter, Nike, Adobe and Lyft. This signals an important shift in acceptance and, hopefully, the trend will continue every year so that eventually all organizations, both large and small, pay tribute to such an important day in our country’s history. BOCA is proud to be amongst the early companies paving the way and recognizing #Juneteenth.