SER NATIONAL HONORS JUNETEENTH
AND THE ENDURING LINK BETWEEN FREEDOM AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN, LEARN, AND BUILD
IRVING, Texas — ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ joins Americans across the country in observing Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking June 19, 1865, the day Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all remaining enslaved people were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and only when word at last reached the final community to learn of its liberty.
“Juneteenth reminds us that freedom and opportunity belong together,” said Ignacio Salazar, ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½â€™s President and CEO. “Emancipation opened the door, but it was the chance to work, to learn a skill, and to earn a living that allowed people to walk through it and build something lasting. At SER, we honor that history every day by helping Americans gain the skills and the confidence to seize the opportunities in front of them.”
This year’s national observance, themed “Juneteenth Brings Balance to America’s Celebration of Freedom,” speaks directly to that truth: liberty and the opportunity to contribute are partners, and the nation is at its strongest when both are within every person’s reach.
“When a person gains a skill, earns a credential, or steps into a career suited to their talents, something larger than a paycheck takes hold,” says Salazar. “It is a sense of dignity, purpose, and self-determination. Freedom, in its fullest sense, is the room to become one’s greatest self, and a nation that equips its people to do exactly that grows stronger with every individual who rises.
“Our work is about making sure no one is left on the sidelines of a growing economy,” Salazar added. “This Juneteenth, I invite Americans of every background to come together, to honor how far we have come as a nation, and to recommit to an America where freedom and opportunity reach every person willing to learn, work, and contribute,” Salazar said.