In early 2021, members of River Network’s EDI committee reviewed and revised our employee benefits, suggesting changes that were adopted by the organization, officially recognizing holidays as part of an ongoing effort to make our work culture more inclusive.

This process was informed by many perspectives, and is at its core a step in our continued efforts to be more inclusive by acknowledging the many holidays that we often overlook, and their historical origins. As a result, 2021 was the first year we recognized Juneteenth (June 19), also known as “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day,” as a holiday for all River Network staff. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union Soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed still-enslaved African Americans of the Emancipation Proclamation and their official freedom from slavery, two and a half years after the fact. This history has often been absent from the white dominant narrative. Recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday is a way of acknowledging that the July 4th holiday does not tell the full story of our country’s journey toward independence.

Read more from the EDI committee.