In an internal memo that went to NFL teams on Friday, commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Juneteenth, one of the oldest celebrations commemorating emancipation from slavery, would be a company wide holiday.
Juneteenth, held on June 19th, has long been held up as a day of remembrance in Black communities, but ignored by the federal calendar of holidays and never given its proper due in corporate environments. While the Senate passed a resolution recognizing it as a national holiday, the motion was never approved by the House.
In his memo, Goodell notes the historical significance of the day, the link to our current national discussion on race and hopes colleagues will use this opportunity to “reflect on the past” but also to “work together for a better future.”
A memo that went to NFL teams today: pic.twitter.com/XsKpDmQ6UT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 12, 2020
Of late, there has been much performance by the NFL on their new commitment to racial equality. After the death of George Floyd, the NFL issued the same watered down corporate statement as every other league and organization, with a few differences. In response to a player video demanding the league acknowledge earlier attempts to peacefully protest police brutality by taking a knee, Goodell recorded a video message admitting the league was wrong, but stopped short of apologizing to Kaepernick by name. Earlier this week, the NFL also announced a new monetary commitment to social justice organizations, promising to donate $250 million over the next 10 years to combat systemic racism.
This is, frankly, a lot of work to do just so the league never has to apologize to Colin Kaepernick by name.
As our senior NFL writer Steve Ruiz noted, it’s already too late for the NFL to make up for blackballing Kaepernick, but that doesn’t mean the league shouldn’t issue a formal apology for the unconscionable treatment he received.
The leagues latest furious backpedaling on their actions over the past four years feels laughably transparent. As Jemel Hill pointed out in The Atlantic, the league’s track record for racial equality is abysmal to the point that they’re suffering from “selective amnesia.”
The reason the NFL’s sudden 180 on racial injustice rings hollow is that it is clearly driven by the changing tide of public opinion, and has nothing to do with a genuine sense of remorse for its previous actions.
It’s been said before, but needs to be repeated. If the league is to truly move forward, it needs to honestly reckon with its past, and that includes their treatment of Kaepernick.
Four years ago, when Kaepernick started his protest and in 2017 when Trump called NFL players “sons of (expletive), Goodell and NFL owners had a real chance to stand up for their black players, whose bodies they so willingly exploit, and back their stance. They didn’t. There was performative kneeling, large spectacles of unity that were none the less empty gestures, and worst of all, a convoluted national anthem policy that tried to appease both sides.
Right now, the true test of the league’s authenticity is whether or not it will acknowledge Kaepernick’s sacrifice by name and admit the part they played in oppressing black players and coaches. Until they do that, their corporate statements, company holidays and yes, even big donations, are tainted with complicity.
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