Local teams honor Juneteenth
‘This is our independence day,’ Dolphins WR Grant says
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jakeem Grant said Juneteenth was a holiday his mother often mentioned while he was growing up, although he did not know the significance of the occasion.
Dolphins safety Adrian Colbert — who is from Texas where the last slaves were freed in Galveston on June 19, 1865, commemorating the holiday — said Juneteenth was not a topic he learned in schools until he got to college.
Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen heard of Juneteenth in passing, but truly did not discover the significance until doing some research on his own.
“This is about family and what our ancestors went through, and now we no longer have to go through that,” Grant said in a video posted by the Dolphins on social media Friday.
“This is our independence day. This is the day that we were freed … Our ancestors went through hell until they got to this day.”
While the Dolphins team facility remained open and Hard Rock Stadium was set to host its first drive-in movie theater event on Friday, the organization used the Juneteenth holiday to educate players, coaches, other personnel and stadium employees on its significance.
The Dolphins provided an online forum for staff members to learn more about the holiday — which happened more than two years after Abraham Lincoln read the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863 — from Makiba Foster of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale and Paul George, a resident historian at HistoryMiami Museum.
Stadium employees were also able to take Juneteenth off as a day of observance and reflection that did not count against their paid time off and were also provided with other resources on additional events and activities.
At the stadium, attendees for Friday’s drive-in movie night will watch “Selma,” the movie that details Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s march for equality through Alabama in 1965. Proceeds from the event will benefit Breakthrough Miami and the Urban League of Broward County, according to a team spokesman.
On top of the Juneteenth educational efforts, the Dolphins’ organization continues to provide at least 1,000 meals per day for six days a week at the stadium to those dealing with food insecurities.
“Juneteenth speaks to the resiliency, to the abdominal spirit of the African American community,” Foster said in the video shared by the Dolphins.
“It is family. It is Black joy. It is the hope for a brighter future for generations to come. It’s truly our freedom day, and we know that because freedom is always worth fighting for and celebrating, we will always continue celebrating Juneteenth.”
The NFL has attempted to make a significant stride with regards to race relations in light of the George Floyd killing in Minnesota last month.
The league has committed $250 million over 10 years to “combat systemic racism and support the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African Americans.”
The NFL also closed its league office Friday to observe Juneteenth with the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Colts, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also following suit.
The Dolphins, although keeping their facilities open, chose to observe the holiday by providing educational opportunities with hopes to spark conversation, acknowledgment and real change for racial and social issues.
“I feel like the change that can possibly happen with more people talking about it,” Colbert said. “Having these type of conversations will create more opportunities because people will understand where we come from. People will understand what our ancestors fought to get.”
“That’s why I think spreading knowledge and understanding of these sorts of holidays and history is important not to just fix institutional racism that exists on paper, but a lot of the social and cultural issues that we’ve been running into recently,” Rosen said.
“They didn’t fight for us to get this far because we didn’t fight this far just to get this far,” Colbert added. “We’re trying to go further.”
The Heat’s Pat Riley, Micky Arison and Nick Arison spoke on a team-produced video addressing the team’s plans to fight systemic racism.
The Miami Heat on Friday released a video stressing the organization’s ongoing pledge to fight systematic racism. Included in the video was the announcement that the team will provide paid time off on Election Day.
“Change begins at the ballot box,” Cedric Brown, the team’s director of digital programs, said in the video, “so election day will now be a company day of civic engagement, with all Heat staff receiving paid time off to get out and vote.”
On that theme, Heat general manager Andy Elisburg said, “We pledge to support voter registration initiatives to ensure our neighbors can freely exercise their constitutional right.”
Two weeks after Heat coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the issues in a heartfelt interview with local media, Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and Heat president Pat Riley offered their thoughts on the video released by the team.
“We want to assure you that the Miami Heat will not sit on the sidelines,” Arison said. “But let us be perfectly clear, this is just the beginning. Our commitment is never-ending.”
Said Riley, “We also know we can’t just talk about change. We must embody change.”
Spoelstra reiterated the themes previously stressed.
“We will not stand for hate, racism or police brutality,” he said.
Said Lorrie-Ann Diaz, the Heat’s vice president of business communications and social responsibility, “We pledge to partner with Black-owned businesses in our community.”
Nick Arison, the team’s chief executive officer, said, “We pledge to use our platform and resources to promote equality and social justice.”
The video also featured former Heat center Alonzo Mourning, citing, “Our country is at a crossroads in the battle against systemic racism,” and former Heat forward Shane Battier noting, “We pledge to support education initiatives that serve the Black community and invest in scholarships to help more Black students attend college.” Both Mourning and Battier are Heat executives.
From Eric Woolworth, the Heat’s president of business operations, there was a vow of, “This is our pledge to Heat Nation.”
The Heat also pledged “to make financial contributions to organizations working to rid the world of racial inequality” and “to enhance our company mentoring and internship programs to provide opportunities for Black students to gain experience and advance their careers.”