Nike Declares Juneteenth To Be Annual Paid Company Holiday

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CEO John Donahoe sent a company-wide memo today recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for U.S. employees moving forward. Donahue, who became CEO in January, said the recognition is an “important opportunity to better commemorate and celebrate Black history and culture,” per the two-page memo obtained by Forbes.

Nike follows the path of Twitter and payments startup Square, which announced plans on Tuesday to make Juneteenth an annual holiday. “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,” tweeted Jack Dorsey, who is CEO of both companies.

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 and commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. It is not an official national holiday but Dorsey feels it should be.

“When we say that Black Lives Matter, it applies to the world outside of Nike and, importantly, it applies to our Black teammates within Nike. Simply put, we need to hold ourselves to a high standard given the heritage of our company and our brand,” said Donahoe.

The $40-billion-in-revenue sportswear giant will also launch a diversity education program next week. The company will offer two weeks of programming and learning opportunities for all employees specific to racial inequality. “Our expectation is that each of us use this time to continue to educate ourselves and challenge our perspectives and learn,” said the CEO.

Other initiatives include ensuring that black, Latinx and women are properly represented at Nike, as well as a larger investment in employee professional development. Donahue appointed Nike executives Brandis Russel and Phil McCartney, to co-chair a D&I Acceleration Taskforce that will formulate comprehensive recommendations.

“As I have listened deeply during my first six months and over the past few weeks, what I have learned is that many have felt a disconnect between our external brand and your internal experience,” Donahoe wrote. “You have told me that we have not consistently supported, recognized and celebrated our own Black teammates in a manner they deserve. This needs to change.”

Nike pledged $40 million last week to support the black community in the U.S., as global protests in response to George Floyd’s death gathered momentum. The Nike-owned Jordan Brand, in conjunction with Michael Jordan, promised an additional $100 million over 10 years to support organizations dedicated to racial equality, social justice and education access. Jordan, who is the world’s richest athlete, will contribute $50 million of the total, according to sports business reporter Matthew Kish.

Nike delivered a powerful ad last week calling for everyone to be “part of the change.” The brand has been an endorsement partner of Colin Kaepernick since 2011 when he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick, who started kneeling during the national anthem before games in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial inequality, famously has not landed an NFL contract since he started his peaceful form of protest.

With Kaepernick sidelined from the NFL, Nike highlighted the quarterback in a 2018 ad campaign celebrating the 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” slogan. Featuring the controversial Kaepernick angered some, spurring hashtags like #BoycottNike and #JustBurnIt. The ad tagline spoke to Kap’s activism: “Believe in something. Even if it means losing everything.”