We’re Observing Juneteenth and Your Company Should Too

Today is Friday, June 19th, and in observance of Juneteenth, Praytell is closed — and will be on June 19th every year moving forward. We’re proud to support the motion of declaring Juneteenth a national holiday, and hope you choose to join the movement.

But what is Juneteenth?

Commonly referred to as the Black Independence Day, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in America. Often classrooms were taught that President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery on January 1, 1863, with the Emancipation Proclamation. However, there are some nuances that have been left out of the story.

It wasn’t until two years later that the last remaining slaves in Galveston, Texas, were freed. There are many theories as to why slavery illegally endured for these two years, including tales of a messenger dying on his way to spread the news, a really long game of telephone and slave masters deliberately withholding this information. But June 19, 1865, officially marks the day that Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston to announce the end of the Civil War and slavery.

And thus, every year Black Americans celebrate Juneteenth as a cultural Independence Day.

Why Is Praytell Off?

With police brutality, systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement currently at the forefront of the country, Praytell, among other companies, is acknowledging this day as a landmark in American history. This is a day for the country to reflect on its past and the structural oppression of Black people as we strive toward equality in the future.

It’s also a day for the Black community to rejoice, honor ancestors, and celebrate an undeniable impact on society and culture.

As we stand in solidarity with the Black community, we also stand with the motion for the government to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday — with the same respect as July 4th.

To this end, we’ve donated our time to #HellaJuneteenth to spread the word and help raise awareness and share resources centered around this important date.

What Can You Do Now?

It’s important that we keep learning and pushing forward important conversations about race in order to enact much-needed change in America.

We recommend using this time to continue your education and spread this “woke-ness” to friends, family, and counterparts.

To help, our Black Praytellian ERG has curated a playlist and a special list of movies + podcasts that speak to our experiences and celebrate our culture. Choose your medium:

Playlist: A musical journey through history, harsh realities, and sounds that keep us lifted. Listen on [Apple Music] + Spotify.

Movies: Some you may have already seen, some you may not have heard about. Here are some classic films to choose from that profile the complexities of being Black in America.

• Just Mercy
• 13th
• I am not your Negro
• Do the Right Thing
• Malcolm X
• If Beale Street Could Talk
• A Raisin in the Sun
• LA 92
• Black Power Mixtape
• King in the Wilderness
• Boyz N the Hood
• Paris is Burning
• Crooklyn

Podcasts: Great conversations about entertainment and current events. A few are more lighthearted…a few are more serious…but they are all profound depictions of Blackness.

• 1619
• Rants & Randomness
• Hoodrat to Headwrap
• Hear to Slay
• The Read
• Around the Way Curls
• Keep It
• Still Processing
• Pod Save the People
• Strong Black Lead
• Still Processing
• Yes, Girl!
• Dope Girl Dialect
• The Color Files

Questions? Drop us a line at Hello@praytellagency.com