In June 2020, when staff members at the organization I lead — the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) — asked me to designate Juneteenth as an office holiday, I said no. As a Black woman committed to advancing racial justice, this decision raised eyebrows and questions. I was six months into my tenure as the brand new Executive Director of one of the largest legal aid organizations in California. George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s lives had just started to matter to white people. At the time, I viewed the racial justice discourse with a mix of hope and cynicism.

I told our staff that organizations like ours that are entrenched in eradicating the legacy of slavery had to do better than take performative steps. Juneteenth is a time for a celebration, but it is also time for reflection on Black history — I felt strongly that we could not take the predictable route without being clear on the intentionality behind the choice.

EBCLC was not the only organization contemplating closing for Juneteenth. Large organizations like Nike, Twitter, and the NFL proclaimed that the moment required this type of action. It struck me as ironic that predominantly non-Black organizations were electing to give their predominantly non-Black staff the day off on a holiday honoring Black people’s unpaid labor. Many organizations proudly made Juneteenth announcements with no interrogation as to whether their Black essential workers could take the day off, or even work from home.

It has now been three years since media organizations referred to the massive multiracial street protests, corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion pledges, and shifting consumer patterns as “America’s Racial Reckoning.” In that time, too few organizations have taken any meaningful action beyond closing their office for Juneteenth 2020. From my experience leading an organization committed to advancing racial equity, here are five key lessons for actionable impact:

  1. Setting a racial justice vision requires reckoning with where you are, and where you fall short.
  2. An organization-wide strategic screening lays the foundation for a bold policy agenda.
  3. Equitable leadership structures should be prioritized at all organization levels.
  4. Partner with staff to examine and strengthen organizational compensation policies.
  5. To advance racial equity, you must attract and build new partnerships.

Read the full article about Juneteenth 2020 by Zoe Polk at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.