The Jacksonville Jaguars will be joining the many organizations that will be giving their employees Friday off for Juneteenth. In the process, they’ve also encouraged their employees to use the time to educate themselves on race relations:
“The Jacksonville Jaguars will close their offices for a day of observation in honor of Juneteenth. Employees have been encouraged to take this day to learn about Juneteenth and race relations, to visit places in Jacksonville that are important to the heritage of the local black community, and to support black-owned businesses.
“All employees were provided resources on the history of Juneteenth, a list of local experiences in Jacksonville that bring the heritage of the black community in the city to life and a list of black-owned businesses that they can patronize.”
As many are aware, Juneteenth is an emancipation holiday annually celebrated on June 19 to acknowledge the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday received its date as a result of the people of Galveston, Texas (one of the deepest parts of the Confederacy) receiving news of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865.
The Jags and several other teams have been extremely active in speaking out about racism and social inequality as of late since (and before) the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Earlier this month, they held a march to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office to bring awareness to the current issues. Running back Leonard Fournette also held a march with the public, police, and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry the following week.
Their owner Shad Khan also spoke out against racial issues through an essay posted on the Jaguars’ official site. Since, he’s communicated with players on his team to get ideas on how to advocate for more social change within the city of Jacksonville.