Juneteenth at Gard

First celebrated June 19, 1866, Juneteenth didn’t become widely known until 2020, a year of resounding social justice movements. Throughout 2020 and 2021, the Black Lives Matter movement took center stage, and to showcase their allyship, companies started echoing the concerns of their Black employees to the masses. These companies reflected on the history of racial inequality in the U.S. and began acknowledging Juneteenth.

That evolution culminated further last year when President Joe Biden signed a bill setting aside Juneteenth, or June 19th, as a federal holiday.

At Gard, we have stated that we are “committed to building upon our history of good work by embracing and increasing our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” Honoring Juneteenth, not only as a day of freedom but also one of access, opportunity and equity, fits right in with our commitments to DEI. It showcases that we understand our history and are committed to creating an equitable future for all.

As a communications consultancy, we also aim to be ahead of the curve and set the example we want the world to reflect.

For all these reasons, we have formally adopted Juneteenth to be commemorated as a holiday at Gard Communications. Our offices will be closed Monday, June 19.

We know that taking this action will not heal the scars that slavery has left on our society. But we also know that in acknowledging those scars, we will create room for conversations on how we can shape our future.