Twitter and Square will make Juneteenth a permanent company holiday for "celebration, education, and connection," CEO Jack Dorsey announced Tuesday.
Celebrated on June 19, the holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Specifically, it's a celebration of the day slaves in Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation a full two and a half years after it was issued by President Abraham Lincoln.
"Countries and regions around the world have their own days to celebrate emancipation, and we will do the work to make those dates company holidays everywhere we are present," he said on Twitter.
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Twitter's announcement comes after weeks of protests following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In the wake of the nationwide demonstrations, activists have successfully won a pledge by Minneapolis' city council to defund the city's police department, the rollback of a secretive law in New York that protected cops' disciplinary records, and hiring reforms in Washington D.C.
But they haven't all been met with open arms. President (and frequent tweeter) Donald Trump has expressed outrage over the protests, calling in National Guard troops and demanding state governors use force to quell the demonstrations. Twitter in May placed a warning next to one of his tweets, prompting outrage that could intensify with Tuesday's announcement. But that doesn't appear to phase Dorsey.
The billionaire said this month he would expand planned charitable giving to groups fighting issues like the coronavirus, girl's health, and education, which will also include Colin Kaepernick's charity.
"I hope this inspires others to do something similar," he said. "Life is too short, so let's do everything we can today to help people now."