Most businesses rightfully close up shop on Memorial Day and Independence Day, but there is less consensus on how to approach that decision for Juneteenth. How individuals and families choose to spend their day off is, of course, their prerogative. For fellow business owners, my message is clear: Yes, all nonessential businesses should be closed on Juneteenth.
Why has Juneteenth yet to prompt the same assumed nonessential business closures of other national holidays? Well, there is not one clean, easy answer.
One likely factor is the day’s recent status as a federal holiday. It was only two summers ago that President Joe Biden signed a law declaring Juneteenth National Independence Day a federal holiday, and many Americans and businesses are still coming to understand what the day means, and how it should be honored.
Another factor is Juneteenth’s regional history. Juneteenth has long been a more regionally celebrated holiday, particularly in Galveston, Texas, where the occasion…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
