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What you need to know:Corporations Face a Reckoning on Race
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Nike to Observe Juneteenth Holiday in Nod to Race Relations

Employees walk on the Nike Inc. headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

Employees walk on the Nike Inc. headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

Photographer: Natalie Behring/Bloomberg

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Nike Inc. told employees that Juneteenth, which takes place on June 19 and marks the day enslaved people discovered they were free in the U.S., will become a paid holiday.

Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe announced the change in an internal memo on Thursday while outlining the footwear company’s strategy to address conversations about race in the wake of protests and the nationwide reckoning of police brutality against black Americans. He said employees have reported “a disconnect” between Nike’s outward posture on race and their internal experiences in the company.