On this day in 1865, the last enslaved people in the United States learned that they were free. To commemorate this foundational moment in our nation’s history, and to honor the deeply rooted traditions which the Black community has for decades observed on this day, we officially recognize Juneteenth as a firm holiday. We hope that all our employees will use this day as an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing destructive impact of systemic racism, and the need to combat the police violence that led to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Laquan McDonald, and countless other Black lives.
Eimer Stahl has a longstanding commitment to opposing injustice and racial inequity. Today, we reaffirm that commitment and make a promise to our employees, clients, and community to do more. Moving forward, we will redouble our efforts to recruit and retain diverse attorneys. Further, and in recognition of our unique responsibility as advocates, we will expand our already robust pro bono practice and seek more opportunities to support racial justice in our community. Finally, we have established a matching fund for employee contributions made through the end of 2020 to Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, a group of civil rights lawyers and advocates working to root out and dismantle deeply entrenched systems of discrimination, racism, and economic oppression.
The principles of justice and equality are indispensable to Eimer Stahl, to the legal profession, and to the world. We stand in solidarity with all those advocating for these principles.