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Reflect, Learn, Act: How Planview Honors Juneteenth 

Dedicating time for awareness and action -- on June 19 and throughout the year.

Published By Julie Smetana
Reflect, Learn, Act: How Planview Honors Juneteenth 

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865.  

It’s the day that federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that all enslaved people were freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation officially declared the end of slavery in the United States.  

The message of Juneteenth honors a legacy of not giving up hope in uncertain times and strives to help hope live on. 

Global awareness of Juneteenth — also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day — is increasing each year, with the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States symbolizing a broader struggle against racial inequality worldwide.  

The widespread recognition fosters awareness, solidarity, and dialogue on systemic racism and discrimination of black communities around the world. 

Reflect, Learn, Act 

As in previous years, Planview will honor Juneteenth with a company-wide, global holiday on June 19.  

“Planview made the decision several years ago for Juneteenth to be recognized as a company-wide holiday, due to its historical significance in the United States and around the world,” said Planview CEO Razat Gaurav. 

“Dedicating time to awareness and action against racial injustice is central to our company value of ‘we do the right thing.’ I encourage Planviewers around the globe to look at Juneteenth as an opportunity to reflect, learn, and act on making our world more equal and inclusive,” Razat continued. 

Reflect and Learn: Honor the History of Juneteenth 

  • Engage with the past with a pick from this Juneteenth Reading list
  • Watch a movie or documentary about Juneteenth. We recommend this video from Kelly Navies, Oral History Specialist with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 
  • Listen and reflect with a podcast or music honoring Juneteenth. A search of your favorite music app is sure to find something interesting. 

Act: Make a Difference 

  • Make a donation to Black Girls CODE, a global organization building pathways for young women of color in the fields of technology and computer programming. This mission is aligned to Planview’s Force for Good pillar, “Nurture the next generation of talent: Foster opportunity for women and underrepresented people of color in tech fields through mentorship and resources.” 
  • One of the most powerful ways to honor Juneteenth is to support black-owned businesses. The Austin office will be providing lunch from a black-owned business the week of Juneteenth. 
  • Many major cities offer in-person Juneteenth events. Check your local listings. 

Beyond Juneteenth 

Commemorating Juneteenth is just one of the efforts initiated by the Planview BIPOC Employee Resource Group (ERG). Their mission is to create a Planview community for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to help empower, connect, and realize their full potential and ensure all voices can be heard. 

Special thanks go to the BIPOC leadership team of Yessica Archilla, Aaliyah Cupil, Pia De Almeida, Jordan Nguyen, Nav Sangha, and Maya Yue for contributing to this blog post. We so appreciate the work you do!

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Written by Julie Smetana VP, Global Learning & Customer Renewals

Julie leads Planview's Global Learning and Global Customer Renewals teams. She joined Planview in December 2021 and was previously at Pearson Education leading learning, shared services, project management, and operations teams. She is passionate about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and is the Executive Sponsor for Planview's BIPOC Employee Resource Group.