Who's Doing it Well? Rightpoint's Powerful Juneteenth Statement
One of the most frequent questions we receive — and try and answer at Holistic — is “Who is doing it well?” It’s always been really informative to hear the good ideas others have. After all, as we say, there’s no IP in inclusion. This feature will highlight creative ideas from other companies. Check out the whole list here or submit your own suggestion below.
Many companies have acknowledged Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in America. Companies have issued statements, given days off, and posted inspiring artwork on social media. But it’s important to ask--what is helpful, and what is actually just a distraction from the fight against systemic inequality?
TL/DR: Rightpoint’s Juneteenth statement acknowledges what the individual can do to educate themself, aligning directly with the company’s values.
Rightpoint uses their Juneteenth statement not only to acknowledge the holiday, but also to help guide education on systemic racism.
Who: Rightpoint, a digital consulting firm based in Chicago.
What’s the big idea 💡: Rightpoint’s Juneteenth Statement features a list of podcast episodes/series to check out, and this list was carefully curated by members of the Rightpoint team. The company’s value system includes a “Listen, Learn, Plan, Act” approach, and their feature of other voices to highlight the significance of Juneteenth and the battle against systemic racism directly aligns with the way in which they run their company.
Why it works: Sure, giving employees a day off would serve as a proper honoring of a holiday. But Juneteenth is not a holiday often discussed in schools, on the news, or in the world. What needs to be done with Juneteenth right now, and systemic racism in general, is mass education. Rightpoint’s issuance of a call to action to participate in future planning to their own employees places the company itself responsible for dispelling this information, and not leaving it up to workers themselves to learn on their own time.
(Not so) Hidden Value: Rightpoint is not pretending that Juneteenth is any regular holiday; they are acknowledging that it has not been appreciated in years past and there is more that should have been done and must still be done to bring awareness to the issue of racism in the workplace and in the world.
Read their statement here, and check out Rightpoint on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Written by Hayley Mirabile