The Kansas City Chiefs are joining the NFL in recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced last Friday that league offices would be closed on June 19 in observation of the Juneteenth holiday, which marks the effective end of slavery in the United States. The Chiefs announced on Monday evening that they’d also be closing their offices in an effort to learn, listen and celebrate those around them. The team released the following statement on their social media channels:
“As our community and the country work toward a future without racial inequality and the injustices that have remained engrained in our society for far too long, the Kansas City Chiefs will recognize Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th as a holiday. During this time, the club’s offices will be closed and we will encourage our staff to examine how each of us and our organization can work towards a better future together.”
Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday in 47-of-50 states right now, but it still is not recognized as a federal holiday. Kansas City Chiefs team reporter BJ Kissel recently began a petition to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. As I write this article the petition has nearly 9,000 signatures. You can sign the petition here.
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