The Miami Heat makes Juneteenth a paid day off for its employees so they can reflect
The Miami Heat will not allow Juneteenth to pass quietly for its employees.
The Heat is among a group of NBA teams designating Juneteenth as a paid day off for all its employees, with prominent companies like Google, Nike and Target also recognizing June 19 as a paid holiday. Juneteenth, which is Friday, is a holiday that recognizes and celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth has been made into a permanent paid holiday for the Heat organization moving forward. The Heat is encouraging its employees to learn, educate, reflect and have conversations about systematic racism on the day off.
As people take to the streets to protest police brutality, social injustice and systematic racism following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, organizations and companies across the country are recognizing the significance of Juneteenth.
For the Heat, Juneteenth is not just a paid day off. It’s an opportunity to have a conversation, with coach Erik Spoelstra and the entire roster taking part in “A Town Hall with the Heat” on Friday at 4 p.m.
To promote the virtual event on its website, the team wrote: “For the Miami Heat, Juneteenth is a day of learning, reflecting, and conversing about one of the issues still affecting the lives of the Black community today — systemic racism.
“We recognize the power of voice when it comes to addressing racial injustice, so we invite you to attend a real, candid, and passionate conversation with Head Coach Erik Spoelstra and the entire Heat team.”
Those interested in joining the conversation can register and submit questions on the current social climate here, with space limited and on a first come, first served basis.
The Heat also posted a powerful five-minute video on its social media platforms Thursday night with messages from most of the players on its roster regarding racial injustice. It offered a preview of the conversation that will take place during Friday’s town hall.
“I’m feeling hurt, tired, fed up,” guard Kendrick Nunn said as part of the video.
“I feel disgusted,” center Kelly Olynyk said as part of the video.
“We should, and I will, always, always tell people that Black Lives Matter. Because they do,” center Bam Adebayo said as part of the video.
“It’s time for change. We will make a change. We will stand together,” wing Jimmy Butler said as part of the video.
The Heat and individuals within the organization have used their platforms to speak out against social injustice in recent weeks, with protesters around the country calling for change amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I’ve really spent the time listening, educating myself, trying to gain more perspective and really reflecting on everything that has been happening,” Spoelstra said on June 6 during a teleconference with South Florida reporters. “And two things, I would say, that really stuck out: First, that things have to change. I mean we just simply can’t stand for the systemic racism, social injustice and police brutality against the Black community any more. And it’s really about standing up for what’s right versus what’s wrong. And the other thing is that it really is a call to action. We have an opportunity to be part of a movement to finally impact change. My family and I are all in on this fight. The Miami Heat are all in on this fight. This is not a time to be silent or stand on the sidelines.”
In addition, Heat captain Udonis Haslem has used his voice recently to speak out on social justice issues. The Miami native spoke May 31 at a press conference held by the City of Miami Police Department to try to help unite the community.
“I want to be a part of the solution,” Haslem said during the press conference. “We have to have a plan moving forward, it has to be together.”
The Heat issued a statement June 1 coming off a weekend of protests around South Florida and amid days of unrest around the country.
“One of the characteristics that makes the city of Miami so unique is its immense cultural diversity,” the Heat said in the statement. “This diversity is a celebrated part of South Florida, both inside and out of AmericanAirlines Arena. It is one of the reasons we deeply mourn the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others, whom we have lost to acts of extreme and excessive violence against African-Americans; acts that have unfortunately become all too commonplace.
“The Miami Heat sends their deepest condolences to the Floyd, Taylor and Arbery families. Our hearts are broken. But our resolve is not. We urge everyone to responsibly let their voices be heard and encourage our community to come together.”
The Heat also participated in the #BlackoutTuesday movement on June 2 by sharing a photo of a black square on the team’s social media accounts with the message of “Black Lives Matter” and the hashtags “BlackoutTuesday” and “HEATNationUnited.” The “BlackoutTuesday” campaign was created as a symbol of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests.
The 2019-20 NBA season is set to resume on July 30 amid the COVID-19 pandemic just outside of Orlando at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, with the Heat among the 22 teams that will take part in the restart. Players hope to use the resumption of the season as a platform to fight for racial equality, with the league and players discussing different ideas to bring attention to the movement and generate change.
In a memo recently sent to teams, the NBA said: “A central goal of our season restart will be to utilize the NBA’s platform to bring attention and sustained action to issues of social injustice, including combating systemic racism, expanding educational and economic opportunities across the Black community, enacting meaningful police and criminal justice reform and promoting greater civic engagement. We are in discussions with the Players Association to develop a comprehensive strategy on how the NBA, its teams and players can best address these important social issues and uniquely position our league to drive action and create meaningful and generational change.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 10:56 AM.
