Juneteenth, celebrated each year on June 19th, is the oldest commemoration of the end of slavery in the US. This day is celebrated in remembrance of the events of June 19th, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and took control of the state to ensure that all enslaved people were truly free.
You may be thinking, didn’t the Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863, free all enslaved people? In reality, enslaved people in Texas had no information about their freedom in 1863. It was not until troops came to Galveston to free them in 1865, two years later, that they gained the knowledge of and right to freedom. They were deprived of the joy, relief, and opportunity that came with their release for two long years.
Freedom for those slaves meant the ability to begin the journey of breaking down systemic barriers and forging a pathway to success. It unlocked the opportunity for them to own property and businesses and the chance to begin establishing generational wealth for centuries to come.
It has been three years since Juneteenth became a federal holiday in the US in 2021. Over the last few years, we have reclaimed the joy, empowerment, opportunity, and social equity that those slaves in Galveston were devoid of from 1863 to 1865. Each year, our US offices are closed on Juneteenth, giving our employees the time to reflect on this momentous day.
Additionally, we commemorated this important holiday last week with our parent company, Anywhere Real Estate, and their African American-Caribbean Employee Resource Group, joining together for a hybrid event focused on “Honoring Resilience and Building Generational Wealth through Homeownership.”
This event aimed to shift the focus from what was lost during those disheartening two years to the opportunities that emerged from what took place on June 19th, 1865. The event kicked off with moving and empowering comments from Anywhere CEO, Ryan Schneider and Chief People Officer, Tanya Reu-Narvaez as we explored why Juneteenth matters, the power of homeownership, and how we can unite to honor the strength of our past and invest in a brighter, more equitable future.
Reflecting on these topics helps us better understand the avenues for growth and how to seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
To better understand how you can incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into your mobility program get to know our action-based approach to DEI, and how we have enabled companies to achieve their organization’s goals while creating a more inclusive work environment.
Happy Juneteenth!
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