More businesses now acknowledge Juneteenth as a paid holiday.

The Growing Recognition of Juneteenth as a Paid Holiday

The number of companies recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday increased again in 2023, two years after the day was named a federal holiday.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, a bill declaring June 19 a federal holiday to mark the end of slavery in the United States. That year, the declaration came to fruition just days before June 19, so many companies still required workers to come in. Since then, though, many businesses have given workers the day off.

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In 2021, right after the federal holiday was declared, just 9% of private employers made Juneteenth a paid company holiday. That number ballooned to 33% last year and has now grown to 39%, according to data from consulting firm Mercer.

Certain industries are recognizing the holiday more than others. For instance, in financial services, close to 2 in 3 employers are giving their employees this Monday off, according to the survey, which queried 721 organizations this year.

Additionally, 7% of employers surveyed said that they are considering making Juneteenth a company holiday next year.

“As more employers take this step, we expect the momentum will build,” Shauna Bryngelson, Mercer’s national growth, innovation, and absence leader, told Axios.

Millions of workers employed by the federal government are getting a paid day off on Monday. The stock market is shuttered, and banks across the country are closed.

Brian Marks, executive director of the University of New Haven’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, told the Washington Examiner that he expects more companies to mark Juneteenth in the coming years, especially amid efforts to increase diversity in the workplace.

“Juneteenth, I would certainly expect more and more companies adopting it as an official corporate holiday,” Marks said, adding that a growing number of businesses might recognize it as a floating holiday if they don’t make it a formal holiday.

Many states have also moved to make Juneteenth a state holiday in the past two years. This year, at least 28 states and the District of Columbia are recognizing Juneteenth as a public holiday. While all of the states that now recognize Juneteenth as a permanent state holiday have done so in the past couple of years, the notable outlier is Texas.

Texas made Juneteenth a public state holiday in 1980, decades ahead of the rest of the country. That is because the memorial centers on the Lone Star State.

Juneteenth commemorates Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger enforcing President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation in Texas. That came in 1865, more than two years after Lincoln issued the proclamation.

Public commemoration of the date gained significant traction following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and subsequent demonstrations across the country.

Biden released a proclamation for Juneteenth on Friday ahead of the holiday. He said signing the bill to recognize the date was one of the proudest actions he has taken since becoming president.

“On Juneteenth, we commemorate that day and honor the tireless work of abolitionists who made it their mission to deliver the promise of America for all Americans. We honor the generations of activists who have advanced the need for our Nation to recognize Juneteenth as a way to reconcile our past as we build a new American future together,” Biden said.

Several presidential contenders have also released statements marking Juneteenth. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said that the country should honor the date “not to dwell on our original sin as a nation, but to showcase just how far we’ve come.”

“We can’t forget the lessons of our past, but we must always continue to strive towards a more perfect union,” the GOP presidential hopeful said.

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