Since three guys started an Oklahoma City tech company in 2009, Clevyr has been guided by honesty, transparency, and commitment to community – from our employees and clients to the local tech scene, our city, and beyond. We recognize that we’re a small part of a larger history that deserves this pause.
For us, today is not just a day off. Juneteenth is both a celebration of freedom and a quiet reminder of how long justice can take to arrive. On one side, it’s a celebration of the abolition of slavery, that the news of freedom was carried far and wide, but on the other, it’s ripe for reflection, learning, and honoring a story that reshaped our country and continues to shape our lives.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Juneteenth specifically marks the day in 1865 when, in Galveston, Texas, the last enslaved people in the U.S. were finally told they were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It's a moment that’s both joyful and sobering: a celebration of freedom, but also a reminder of how long justice can take to arrive. Even then, Juneteenth marked a beginning, rather than an end.
It was another five years before the Fifteenth Amendment (theoretically) prohibited denying the right to vote based on race. (February 3, 1870)
It was another forty-five years before the NAACP was established. (February 12, 1909)
It was a hundred years before President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act that fully enfranchised African American voters. (August 7, 1965)
Over that same hundred years, America saw the rise of communities like Oklahoma City’s Deep Deuce and Tulsa’s Greenwood. The Harlem Renaissance produced works of art and literature that are as deeply woven into our American tapestry as any. New Orleans jazz paved the way for rock and roll. Black orators and statesmen gave us words to live by, and to dream by. We also saw the rise of Jim Crow, redlining and sundown towns, the Tulsa Race Massacre. We saw less overt means, like “urban renewal” and the strategic construction of interstate highways used to disrupt and scatter historically black neighborhoods and enclaves.
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
Since 1965, though, we’ve seen real progress:
- There have been twice as many black governors elected in America as in all of the years before.
- We've elected an African American President, and later, Vice President.
- Dozens of black mayors, representatives, and senators have served their communities and constituencies.
- Thousands of African American physicians and scientists have devoted their careers to the advancement of fields from medicine to engineering to space exploration.
- Black authors, actors, artists, playwrights, and musicians shape our cultural landscape as never before.
Despite hardships inflicted on and carried by a whole people, the black community remains resilient, connected, motivated, and upwardly mobile.
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
What does all of that have to do with Clevyr?
- We believe tech should be for everyone—and built by diverse teams.
- We know inclusion isn’t passive—it’s a daily, deliberate act.
- We want our team members to feel not just accepted, but celebrated.
- We know there’s still work to do—within our company, our community, and our industry.
As a company rooted in technology, we know our tools shape the future—but our values shape how we build it. Honoring Juneteenth is one small way we stay accountable to that truth. We choose to close our doors today because we believe honoring Juneteenth means more than a Slack message. It means slowing down, acknowledging history, and making space for a better future.
Let us march on 'til victory is won.
Want to learn more about African American history and the legacy of Juneteenth? Here are a few places to start:
- The National Museum of African American History & Culture’s Moment for Juneteenth Website Link
- The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Website Link
- If you’re in Oklahoma, consider a visit to the Oklahoma Black Museum & Performing Arts Center. Visit OKC Listing
- The headings in this post are taken from the lyrics of the ‘black national anthem’ Lift Every Voice and Sing. This video is a 2020 virtual performance by The 105 Voices of History National HBCU Concert Choir & Leadership, performing a version arranged by Roland M. Carter. Watch on YouTube
