Juneteenth is a newer national holiday, and as such, many of us have the day off work. Do take a minute to think about why this day has become a national holiday. Think about your workplace and how you and your colleagues can be inclusive an welcoming to coworkers with different backgrounds and life experiences from your own.
Make sure you aren't giving up on important DEI initiatives, even if things are comfortable for you at work and you can afford to ignore equity and inclusion for a while without much changing for you.
The Rae Mackenzie Group recently published a very good read on this topic titled Time To Give Up On DEI?
In the workplace, there are some small yet difficult things you can do every day. Do your best to be aware of jokes that come from a place of unconscious bias or even ignored racism, and don't give the sympathy laugh to fit in. Politely address it by saying "Hey, let's not make jokes like that."
It seems small, but it's more difficult than you think until you give it a try. And remember: you get good at anything you practice.
However you choose to celebrate, we wish you a happy Juneteenth and we look forward to partnering with you in promoting greater racial equity in the Twin Cities employment market.
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Unfamiliar with Juneteenth? Here's some information on the design and history of the Juneteenth flag (our featured image for this blog post).