Hawks designate Juneteenth as paid company holiday

Click here for updates on this story

    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — The Atlanta Hawks announced Sunday the franchise designated Juneteenth as a permanent paid company holiday for all of its employees.

Juneteenth is the annual celebration on June 19 and commemorates the date Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news the Civil War was over and all slaves were now free.

“I am proud of the decision our organization has made to recognize Juneteenth as a company holiday this year and going forward,” said Camye Mackey, Chief People, Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena. “This is one of many steps we’ll take to support the positive change we need to see in society.”

Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce will also take part in the NAACP’s “March on Georgia” on Monday where demonstrators will march to the state capitol to demand changes from the state legislator that is coming back into session. He’s a member of the National Basketball Coaches Association’s committee on racial injustice and reform.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.