How should brands commemorate Juneteenth?
As protests broke out in early summer of last year after the murder of George Floyd, brands scrambled to make diversity commitments and recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, is recognized as the anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1862, it was not until June 19, 1865, that newly-freed people celebrated emancipation when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and enforce the proclamation. Last year, brands including Best Buy, Adobe and General Motors widely recognized the holiday for the first time by observing it with days off or corporate statements. But as the anniversary approaches, brands should be on the lookout for making performative activism or capitalizing on Black culture. Juneteenth is about to beor, is in the process of beingcommodified by pop culture in a big way and Im not sure how I feel about it. I was talking to my dad this time last year and he was NOT happy with all these news outlets/brands jumping on the bandwagon of his heritage.  (@tigrr_intherain) June 13, 2021  Insane how many copywriters, designers & strategists for a lot of brands' Juneteenth campaigns aren't black.  Ms. Johnson (@ItsRobinJ) June 11, 2021  Now watch all these big brands and corporations try to capitalize off of Juneteenth next week  Dr. Bae  (@_NellyBrown_) June 13, 2021  After seeing brands performative activism for #pride I cant WAIT to see what they throw together next week for #Juneteenth pic.twitter.com/lSGj8vYLOA  Laparksss (@laparksss) June 9, 2021  Clothing brand Old Navy recently suspended its Juneteenth campaign, which encouraged Black influencers to purchase and wear Juneteenth t-shirts, after the company was accused of attempting to profit from the holiday. Campaign US wants to hear your thoughts.