The Pittsburgh Steelers are among a growing number of NFL teams that will close team headquarters on Friday in observance of Juneteenth as a company holiday.
A Steelers spokesman said Wednesday the team is following the lead of the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week the league would close its offices Friday in observance of Juneteenth, the day in 1865 that Texas became the final state in the union to receive word that slaves had been freed with the end of the Civil War.
“It is a day to reflect on our past, but more importantly, consider how each one of us can continue to show up and band together to work toward a better future,” Goodell said.
The NFL previously announced a commitment of $250 million over 10 years to social justice causes to “combat systemic racism and support the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African Americans.”
Although the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan. 1, 1863 and the Civil War ended in April 1865, word didn’t reach Texas until June 19 when Union general Gordon Granger read the federal orders announcing that all enslaved people in the state were free.
Juneteenth has been a state holiday in Texas since 1980 and 47 states recognize it in some fashion such as a ceremonial holiday or day of observance. Pennsylvania began recognizing Juneteenth in 2001.
“Juneteenth not only marks the end of slavery in the United States, but it also symbolizes freedom — a freedom that was delayed, and brutally resisted; and though decades of progress followed, a freedom for which we must continue to fight,” Goodell said.
Other teams that have announced plans to observe Juneteenth as a company holiday include the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Colts, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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