Verizon and Amazon cancel support for Juneteenth celebrations
Amazon, Verizon, and other major corporations have ended or reduced their support for Juneteenth celebrations this year, forcing events in major cities to be significantly scaled back, a Popular Information investigation reveals.
The corporate retreat appears to be related to the Trump administration's demand that corporations end their support for programs related to "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI). This pressure campaign has extended to any activity that recognizes the reality of racism in American history.
In Denver, the annual Juneteenth Music Festival was cut from two days to one day due to "a sharp decline in corporate sponsorships," the Denver Post reported. The organizers of Denver's celebration "declined to share the list of 2024 sponsors who are not returning for 2025" with the Denver Post.
But an archived version of the festival website reveals that Verizon, a "Silver" sponsor of the 2024 event, was not listed as a sponsor this year.
Last month, Verizon told Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr that the company was "ending its DEI-related policies…effective immediately." It was part of Verizon's effort to win approval from the FCC to acquire Frontier Communications, a broadband technology company, for $20 billion. Among other things, Verizon agreed to end "workforce diversity goals" and remove its "'Diversity and Inclusion' website." The gambit appears to have worked. The day after Verizon sent the letter, the FCC approved the merger. In a release, the FCC said its approval of the acquisition "Ensures that Discriminatory DEI Policies End."
Verizon also ended its financial support for the Juneteenth In The Streets Festival in Santa Clara County, California, according to an archived version of the festival's website.
In 2020, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said the company "is fiercely committed to diversity and inclusion across all spectrums because it makes us and the world better." (That statement has been erased from Verizon's corporate website.) In 2022, the Verizon corporate website encouraged customers to "Go big or go home this Juneteenth." Now, the company is unwilling to make even a small financial contribution to celebrate the end of slavery. Verizon did not respond to a request for comment.
Chevron, a Gold sponsor of Denver's 2024 Juneteenth Music Festival, is also not sponsoring the event at all this year. Unlike Verizon, Chevron has not publicly renounced its diversity programs. Chevron, however, is the only American fossil fuel company permitted by the federal government to operate in Venezuela. CEO Mike Wirth has personally lobbied President Trump at the White House to maintain that status. The company did not respond to an inquiry as to why it ended its financial support for Denver's Juneteenth celebration.
Several companies, including Coors, Kaiser Permanente, and Xcel Energy, maintained their support of Denver's Juneteenth Music Festival.
The Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival was nearly canceled following "a pullback in support from the federal government and corporations for anything that could be labeled DEI." Other than the U.S. Army, organizers did not reveal which organizations were cutting their support. But due to a funding shortage, the event was scaled back for the first time in its 13-year history, from three days to two.
Archived versions of the festival website reveal that Amazon, which was listed as a sponsor of the event in 2024, did not support the event this year.
Amazon rolled back its DEI programs in December 2024. An internal letter from an Amazon senior human resources executive stated that the company would eliminate “outdated” policies and programs. This included removing language from the company’s website about Amazon’s support for “Equity for Black people.” Amazon also removed all references to DEI from its 2024 annual report and donated $1,000,000 to Trump's inaugural committee. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.
The title sponsor of the Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival in 2024 was Cisco. But the company is not listed on the event website this year. Cisco has publicly defended some diversity efforts. But last year, the company folded its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team into a new division called Social Impact and Inclusion. Cisco did not respond to a request for comment.
Along with shrinking corporate support, Juneteenth is receiving reduced support from governments that are increasingly hostile to anything associated with diversity. In West Virginia, Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) said his administration will not host any Juneteenth events this year, ending a tradition established by his Republican predecessor. In another break from tradition, Juneteenth will not be a paid holiday for state workers in West Virginia this year. In May, Morrisey signed legislation ending diversity programs, a move he said fulfilled his pledge to "root out DEI and eliminate the woke virus in West Virginia."
Mediocre straight white Christian men are having their moment but it won't last. Diversity is a reality and no amount of reduced support from cowardly corporations (who will pay a price on their bottom line), deleted websites or bullshit pronouncements from morons like WV's governor will change it.
Absolutely nothing done by corporate America surprises me. End Citizens United!