Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky Recognizes and Celebrates Juneteenth

The holiday of Juneteenth is quickly approaching, and SMGG is ready to celebrate on June 19 as a continuation of our commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace. 

Juneteenth may be the newest federal holiday, signed into law in 2021 by President Biden, but many Black communities have been celebrating it for more than 150 years. 

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the enslaved people of Galveston. Although more than two and a half years had passed since the Emancipation Proclamation had freed enslaved people in the South, that law couldn’t be enforced in many places until after the Civil War ended. Juneteenth is a way to celebrate freedom for all Americans.

Mary Eliot, Curator of American slavery, and emancipation at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, said, “Juneteenth should really be a rallying call for all of us to think about the meaning of freedom, particularly regarding African Americans, as well as to the nation and the rest of the world.”

David Strassburger, Chief Diversity Officer of SMGG said, “All Americans should celebrate Juneteenth, as it is a day when we all became free of chattel slavery. This is a holiday to celebrate freedom and recommit to the work of equality and inclusion.”

There are Juneteenth celebrations planned throughout Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, including the Western Pennsylvania Juneteenth Homecoming Celebration.

SMGG has valued diversity throughout our history, and we are proud to continue to learn how to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession and our society at large.  

You can learn more about Juneteenth by visiting the website of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and/or attending one of the many Juneteenth celebrations in your region.

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