What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, is the commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation reaching Galveston, Texas marking the ending of slavery across the United States. It was first celebrated in 1865 and was pronounced a federal holiday in the United States in 2022. 

Why does Juneteenth matter to Juno?

At Juno, we recognize Juneteenth as a time to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans in our country. We also understand the importance of Juneteenth in sparking deep reflection on the challenges that are still faced by the African American community. Even with the successes achieved over the decades, wide inequities are experienced by the African American community. Not only are African Americans generally at higher risk for heart diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma, and many other chronic health conditions, racial gaps also exist in wealth, education, mental well-being, and life-expectancy. 

While important, reflection alone is not enough. Reflection should lead to action. We understand that at Juno, we must take action to help close these gaps — via intimate community partnerships, outreach and advocacy, we are supporting communities, individuals and boots-on-the-ground organizations to help African Americans achieve equity across all avenues. In our quest to achieve our mission of “creating a healthier world”, delivering excellent care that is culturally-responsive and patient-centered is critical. Positioning ourselves to provide the best care for African American communities and other marginalized groups means constructing diverse leadership and clinical teams that mirror the populations we serve. It also means training Juno team members on how to deliver care with cultural humility, incorporate social factors into health care, and better understand the impact of bias on health outcomes. At Juno, we bring  this excellent care to the neighborhoods that need it most — where it’s frequently difficult to access high-quality care.

This Juneteenth, in addition to celebrating, we encourage everyone to also reflect on the barriers that African American communities continue to face, and plan actions to improve the inequities that remain widely present. 

-Jabraan Pasha, MD
VP, Health Equity