whoisowenjones
Today is our first official paid holiday celebrating Pride Month at Owen Jones. In the future, our Pride Day will be the first Friday in June, every year going forward. June 28th, 1969 was the first day of the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village. One of the primary catalysts for a civil rights movement that continues today, it began when trans women of color stood up against the persistent police brutality at the Stonewall Inn. We will take this day to honor the LGBTQIA+ community—but this day is just a starting place to work with greater urgency toward equity and inclusion. Owen Jones is looking hard at our past, present, and into our future to become a stronger advocate for positive change.
Owen Jones will be closed on Friday in observance of Juneteenth, which celebrates the belated liberation of enslaved black people in the United States, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Beginning this year, Owen Jones recognizes June 19th as an annual paid holiday. Our employees will have the opportunity to learn and reflect more deeply on the significance of this moment in Black History. There is critical momentum, urgency, and action for the Black Lives Matter movement. This urgency begins by looking within, and Owen Jones is committed to making internal changes that reflect the need to correct a broken system. We are determined to continue working toward a truly equal and free society, no matter how long it takes. #blacklivesmatter
Activism shouldn’t just be reserved for the weekends. It occurs to Owen Jones that, during the workweek, early evenings offer the best opportunities to get out and do our part as activists. We are encouraging our people: If you need time to get somewhere to protest in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, or to take action in some other way, let your colleagues know. And take it. Some types of business and work have flexible hours. In that case, two very real things we have to offer are both trust and time. There are a lot of resources out there right now for people to educate and activate–but people need the time to dig into them. Black lives matter every damn day. – Rusty Grim, CEO & Co-Founder Owen Jones
On Friday, Owen Jones—the business—will be closed. The hearts of Owen Jones—the people—will not be. We are taking this day as a new marker and a new start; a new start on taking action, reading, learning, donating, demonstrating, contributing, listening, writing to our representatives, raising our voices, and reconciling any apathy and guilt we need to shed that might prevent us from taking action, in order to do our own work as individuals and as an organization. No, one day is not the answer. This is just our new, first day in recognition that we all have many, many days in front of us before Black Americans feel the burden we have forced them to carry begins to diminish. Black Lives Matter Every Damn Day. #BLMeverydamnday Friday is the first of our new every-damn-days at Owen Jones. You can get started by spending time with @patiasfantasyworld’s expansive list of resources using the link in our bio. Find something there, and then do it. – Rusty Grim, CEO & Co-Founder Owen Jones
