GM Plans 8 Minutes, 46 Seconds of Silence on Juneteenth
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On Friday, GM will mark the Juneteenth holiday and honor George Floyd with 8 minutes, 46 seconds of silence at its facilities.
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A celebration of slavery’s end in the United States, Juneteenth is especially resonant this year. For the past three weeks, huge numbers of Americans have taken to the streets to protest racial injustice and support the Black Lives Matter movement.
These demonstrations were sparked by the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis. A white officer knelt on the black man’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds before he died. That time span, which was captured on video, has become a rallying cry across the nation and even around the globe.
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Photo: Taymaz Valley via CC
Per the Detroit Free Press, GM said in a statement that its period of silence for Juneteenth is meant as “a sign of solidarity with the Black community and our support of the struggle against continuing racial injustice. Our aim is to be the world’s most inclusive company and we see this as another powerful way to remind everyone of our values and our goals.”
Salaried GM workers can observe this time of silence Friday morning. First-shift GM factory workers will have the opportunity to do so at 8:46 a.m., while second-shift workers can participate at 8:46 p.m. Third-shift workers and facilities outside the U.S. will join in at other times.
In addition to its Juneteenth observance, GM has already demonstrated support for equality in a couple of key ways over the past few weeks. CEO Mary Barra has announced plans to put together an Inclusion Advisory Board for the company by the end of this quarter. GM has also earmarked $10 million in donations to organizations that are fighting for racial justice.
A longtime editor/writer and recently transplanted Hoosier, Caleb Cook lives in Xenia, Ohio. His favorite activities are reading and listening to music, although he occasionally emerges from the heap of books and vinyl records in his basement to stand blinking in the sunlight. Once fully acclimated to the outside world again, he can be observed hanging out with his wife, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, attending movies, walking the dog, or wandering into a local brewery to inquire about what’s on tap. See more articles by Caleb.