The holiday set for each June 19 marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed in Texas with the message that the Civil War was over and slavery ended.
Jack Dorsey on Tuesday said that both companies he heads -- Twitter and Square -- are making "Juneteenth" a holiday for employees in commemoration of the end of slavery in the US.
The holiday set for each June 19 marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed in Texas with the message that the Civil War was over and slavery ended, according to a Juneteenth.com website linked to by Dorsey.
President Abraham Lincoln more than two years earlier had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect at the start of 1863.
The arrival of Union troops in Texas provided needed strength to overcome resistance there to freeing slaves, according to Juneteenth.com.
"Both Twitter and Square are making #Juneteenth (June 19th) a company holiday in the US, forevermore," Dorsey said in a tweet.
"A day for celebration, education, and connection."
He added in a follow-up tweet that Twitter and Square will work to make company holidays of days celebrating emancipation in other countries where it operates.
OnePlus 8 vs Mi 10 5G: Which Is the Best 'Value Flagship' Phone in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.