The Washington Redskins will join a growing list of NFL teams to honor Juneteenth. Redskins’ head coach Ron Rivera sent out a memo to employees, stating the team will recognize Friday as a paid company holiday.
The Redskins held a series of townhall meetings Monday with its employees. Senior vice president of player development Doug Williams; coaching intern Jennifer King, a former police officer; Pastor Brett Fuller; director of player development Malcolm Blacken and team psychologist Dr. Monica Page led the meetings, according to ESPN’s John Keim.
Following the meetings, Rivera was free to make the announcement of recognizing the holiday.
āThis monumental day is celebrated each year, but given all that has transpired, there is no doubt that the impact of this day will be even more heartfelt this year,ā Rivera said in the email.
Juneteenth is observed as the effective end of slavery in the United States of America. Emancipation Proclamation went into effect January 1, 1963. However, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865 that the last of freed slaves were read President Abraham Lincoln’s decree following the end of the Civil War in Galveston, Texas. Texas was the most remote slave state in America.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota led to outrage and protest broke out against police brutality, racism and racial injustice. With social unrest being prevalent, Afro-Americans have pushed for the federal recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday.
Nike, Twitter and the NFL have announced they’ll honor the holiday starting this year. Shortly afterwards, NFL teams announced they would follow suit. The Redskins join the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to give employees the Friday off.
“We have taken the first step as teammates and colleagues and shared our frustrations and experiences. Now we must put our minds together and take the next step in creating programs to fight this battle right here in the DMV,” Rivera added.
