Gordon & Rees recognizes Juneteenth which commemorates the date of June 19, 1865 when many of the last enslaved African-Americans learned from Union soldiers that they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
This date has taken on even more significance over the past few years in light of a number of events which remind us that racial equality has not been fully achieved and that there is still much to be accomplished. And while there is seemingly more awareness around these important issues, the recent brutal attacks in Buffalo and other areas of the country establish that racism still very much exists and is too often expressed in violent ways against minority communities. While in 2021 Congress recognized Juneteenth as a holiday based upon its historic importance, this date also serves as a reminder of our need to continue working towards meaningful and lasting racial equality.
Gordon & Rees hopes that we, individually and collectively, celebrate Juneteenth as a day of both reflection and service and that we must all serve as active participants in this effort. In this light, in conjunction with Juneteenth, Gordon & Rees has sponsored a firm-wide training on the vital importance of diversity and inclusivity and how our collective differences make us stronger as a firm and society. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the fundamental principles of equality, inclusion and justice.