Growing list of NFL teams shut down team operations to honor Juneteenth holiday
A slew of NFL teams have announced that they will recognize Juneteenth as a company holiday in the days following the league’s announcement that it will close its offices on June 19.
On Friday, commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL will celebrate the date “commemorating the effective end of slavery in the United States,” ESPN reported.
“This year, as we work together as a family and in our communities to combat the racial injustices that remain deeply rooted into the fabric of our society, the NFL will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th as a recognized holiday and our league offices will be closed,” Goodell wrote. “It is a day to reflect on our past, but more importantly, consider how each one of us can continue to show up and band together to work toward a better future.”
On Wednesday, the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that they will be observing Juneteenth, according to media reports. They’re joining the Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, and the Detroit Lions.
Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, carrying the news that the American Civil War had ended with the fall of the Confederate States and the slaves were now free. This occurred two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued on Jan. 1, 1863.
Texas, having a minuscule number of Union troops to enforce the executive order, wasn’t able to overcome the resistance until a couple of years after the fact, according to Juneteenth.com, which gives a detailed description of the history of the date.
June 19 is recognized as a state holiday in 47 states, but there has been an overwhelming push to make it a national holiday. Major companies including Nike, Target, Google, Twitter and others have started recognizing the date as a paid national holiday as well, McClatchy News reported.
Opal Lee, a Fort Worth, Texas, woman, started a Change.org petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
“Juneteenth is not just a festival,” she said last week to the Star-Telegram. “Juneteenth is a day of joy for all America. It’s the day we gained true liberty, with the arrival of the U.S. Army in Texas to free slaves after Confederate surrender.
“It should be a unifier.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Growing list of NFL teams shut down team operations to honor Juneteenth holiday."