Watch: Black Enterprise and Capital One Celebrate Juneteenth

At Capital One, we are committed to continuing our work to advance the cause of racial equity and social justice and want to enable our associates to play a role. 

We are recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday and will be closing our U.S. offices this week on June 18 and branches on June 19 in observance. Our Capital One Café locations will remain open. 

Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary date of June 19, 1865, when an announcement by the Union Army in Galveston, Texas, enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in the state nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s executive order had outlawed slavery.

“We’re so excited about this holiday that Capital One has introduced in recognizing the importance of Juneteenth and the significance it has for Black Americans,” says Celia Edwards Karam, Chief Audit Officer at Capital One.

To discuss Capital One’s decision to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday, Karam joined Mark Mathewson, Senior Vice President, Retail Bank Technology at Capital One, on the second installment of On the Clock with Alisa Gumbs — a four-part virtual podcast series presented by Capital One in partnership with Black Enterprise that unpacks equity as a tool to drive change in communities from diverse backgrounds.

“On the one hand, Juneteenth symbolizes freedom, but on the other hand, one could argue that we still have a lot of freedom to achieve,” says Karam. “In recognizing Juneteenth, it actually creates a space and an opportunity to have that conversation about what we’ve achieved and where progress is desperately needed.”

Karam and Mathewson also discuss a wide array of topics pertaining to Black influence in the workplace including how events from the past year have affected their leadership styles and the importance of effective allyship.

Each episode will feature perspectives from experts, community partners and changemakers to discuss why equity should be a priority in four key areas:

• Equity in America 
• Leveraging Black Influence in the Workplace 
• Affordable Housing 
• Sustaining Black-owned Businesses into the Future 

Watch the full episode here: On The Clock With Alisa Gumbs: Leveraging Black Influence in the Workplace