Bigger than Texas: The Relevance of Juneteenth
Posted by admin on Jun. 17, 2022 / Subscribe 0
From left to right: David Wolpert, PRSA Dallas President; Tara Ford Payne, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas VP Communications and Outreach; Tiara M Tucker, PRSA Dallas VP DE&I; Dione Sims, Unity Unlimited Inc Founder and CEO; Jared Fitzpatrick, Signify Health Head of DE&I; Kian Hervey, American Airlines DE&I Manager; Andrea Oputa, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Sr DE&I Specialist.
Juneteenth is well-known to many in the southern US who know the history of June 19, 1865, when the Union officially proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas. But the day has come to represent emancipation more broadly, and it’s been only recently established as a recognized federal holiday, signed into law just last year. That newness may have some Americans wondering about the relevance, the impact and how to appropriately commemorate this significant date.
"It’s more than a festival, more than a holiday,” said keynote speaker Dione Sims, the founder and CEO of Unity Unlimited Inc. “It is a state of mind. It is a choice in the US to make sure we celebrate freedom and protect that freedom everywhere that we are.”
Sims’ words resonated clearly to an excited audience at PRSA Dallas’ first hybrid in-person and virtual event held at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on June 16. Sims is also the granddaughter of Dr Opal Lee, a former teacher, counselor tenured community activist who, in 2016 at the age of 89, decided to walk from Texas to Washington DC to gain national recognition of Juneteenth.
A panel of diversity, equity and inclusion specialists gathered after Sims’ speech to dive deeper into the occasion known also as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day or Freedom Day.
“What Juneteenth does is it reminds us of the responsibility we share to pursue equitable outcomes for everyone everywhere today, as well as for future generations,” said moderator Tara Ford Payne, VP Communications and Outreach for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “Historically, not everyone has had a chance to fully participate in the economy.”
Panelist Jared Fitzpatrick, Head of DE&I for Signify Health, admitted to not giving Juneteenth much thought until moving to Texas and learning about it in school. He now loves seeing the celebratory parades and events which bring people together.
“Ultimately, it’s an opportunity to educate and talk about the long-standing impact [of history] still affecting the black community,” Fitzpatrick said. “In many ways, we are still fighting for freedom.” He went on to caution companies against capitalizing on Juneteenth in ways that commercialize it.
Panelist Tiara M Tucker, VP of DE&I at PRSA Dallas, said she supports individuals’ preferences for how they choose to commemorate the day, but emphasized the importance of Sims’ speech where attention was drawn toward celebrating the many people who helped slaves and contributed on the long journey toward emancipation.
Payne posed stimulating questions to the group including how companies can best manage their approach to Juneteenth. This led to wider discussions about grassroot, authentic efforts from employee resource groups.
“I believe in having the appropriate people to have a seat at the table,” Tucker said. “Allow people who are passionate about it – who have a great understanding – allow them to have a seat at the table and bring their own experiences to make it more impactful for everyone else.”
Communications professionals have a responsibility and an opportunity to facilitate conversation on sometimes challenging subjects. The opportunity requires more than inviting others to join the conversation, but panelists noted a need for communicators to prepare stakeholders for those conversations.
To that end, Kian Hervey, American Airlines DE&I Manager highlighted that word choice matters. Her company chose to utilize the word “jubilee” for their Juneteenth initiatives.
“We are really excited about the ‘jubilee’ terminology because it provides opportunity to educate others not aware of the celebration,” Hervey said. “I get excited to not lump it in with everything else… because we don’t use it in our everyday vocabulary, and it means to feel a part of something. It’s an opportunity to invite people into a culture and celebrate the things that make us all unique.”
Panelists provided detailed, real-life accounts about how DE&I and employee resource groups have been leveraged to formulate more comprehensive and powerful customer advocacy programs and crisis communications responses at their own organizations.
Fitzpatrick then challenged the audience to examine their own individual roles at their companies and consider how they may be catalysts for change.
“Leaders must be brought in,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s about opening the shackles and let enslaved people become free. You may be holding the keys today to open the shackles for somebody.”
But Fitzpatrick noted it’s also fine to realize that “I may not be the right messenger,” and implement different strategies and people resources to approach organization-wide change.
The seminar concluded with the driving message that “freedom translates.” And Juneteenth carries with it meaningful opportunities for local, national and global communities to unite and commemorate the day in a variety of ways – be it a backyard barbecue or a formally hosted jubilee event.
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Related Content:
- Check out the Juneteenth Legacy Project here.
- Get involved! See D Magazine’s list of Juneteenth events here.
- Watch a recent video interview with Dione Sims about Juneteenth here, hosted by Cedric Bailey.
From PRSA: Do you know of major influencers in your professional community that should be recognized? Nominate them for PRSA Dallas’ 40 Under 40 Award. The deadline is June 24; full details here.
Authored by Lauren Williamson, PRSA Dallas Programs Co-Chair and Argus Media VP Commercial Product.
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