Elon Musk declares Juneteenth as paid holiday for Tesla & SpaceX employees

Elon Musk has announced that Juneteenth will be considered a paid holiday for employees at Tesla and SpaceX, the two companies he founded. Juneteenth is an annual celebration on June 19 to mark the day in 1865 that all slaves in Texas were declared free, which has gained wider recognition since then, and unprecedented recognition this year amid the Black Lives Matter protests. 

READ: US: Thousands March In NY On Juneteenth

Musk declares Juneteenth as paid leave

In a tweet on June 19, Musk announced that the day will henceforth be considered as a US holiday for the employees at the two firms. He later replied to a Twitter user and announced that the day will be added as a Paid Time Off (PTO) after the firms' annual reviews scheduled to take place next quarter. 

The term Juneteenth is a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day. Celebrations include parades, concerts, and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or day of recognition, like Flag Day. Countries like South Korea, Ghana, Israel, Taiwan, France, and the U.S. territory of Guam have held or now hold Juneteenth celebrations.

The day has not been declared as a holiday by the US Federal government, but the cries for declaring it so are growing this year, triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. The incident triggered protests, some violent, across the north American country earlier this month. 

READ: US: Amid Protests For Racial Justice, Juneteenth Gets New Renown

The Juneteenth celebrations led to US President Donald Trump pushing the date of his first rally in more than three months by a day to June 20. Earlier, California Sen. Kamala Harris criticised President Trump for holding the rally on June 19. "This isn’t just a wink to white supremacists — he’s throwing them a welcome home part," she said. 

Sherry Gamble Smith, president of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce, said, "To choose the date, to come to Tulsa, is totally disrespectful and a slap in the face to even happen."

READ: New York Declares Juneteenth A Holiday For State Employees

Democratic nominee for the Presidential elections scheduled for November this year Joe Biden has actively supported the 'Black Lives Matter' movement and backed the celebrations for the day. "Juneteenth reminds us of how vulnerable our nation is to being poisoned by systems and acts of inhumanity—but it's also a reminder of our ability to change. Together, we can lay the roots of real and lasting justice, and become the extraordinary nation that was promised to all."

READ: Protesters Gather Near White House For Juneteenth