3Play Media Celebrates Juneteenth and Pride!

During the month of June, 3Play Media’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee planned two events to honor and celebrate Juneteenth and Pride. 

Unbeknownst to many Americans, Juneteenth has long been celebrated in the African American community to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation declared that slavery was illegal in the country, many states under Confederate control still implemented it. Freedom for enslaved African Americans finally came on June 19, 1865, when more than 2,000 Union troops set foot in Galveston Bay, Texas to announce the abolishment of slavery. This historic day is now known as “Juneteenth”. 

Another important holiday celebrated annually in June is Pride. Pride month honors the work to achieve equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community. Although there were multiple occasions of harassment toward the community, the 1969 Stonewall Riots is widely known as the genesis of Pride. Following the riots, protesters continued the movement by organizing a march in New York City. Soon after, more cities joined in and it became the huge and colorful international celebration we know today. 

Both Pride and Juneteenth are celebrated in a variety of ways throughout the country. In this post, we’ll cover how 3Play chose to honor these holidays!

Celebrating Juneteenth 2021

This year was the first time 3Play Media celebrated Juneteenth as a company. 

The DEI Committee planned two events – one in-person and one virtually, online. 

For the in-person event, a small group of 3Players took a trolley tour around the historic city of Boston (where 3Play is located!). 

The trolley stopped in the charming and picturesque neighborhood of Beacon Hill, known for its cobblestone streets and Victorian homes. 

In the heart of the neighborhood, lies a 1.6-mile trail, also known as The Black Heritage Trail. It showcases the homes and community centers of the Black community that inhabited Beacon Hill during and after the American Civil War. 

On our tour, we learned about the valiant community members who fought for equality and the abolition of slavery. 

Under our very feet were underground tunnels along the Underground Railroad, used by enslaved people escaping the South. We discovered that many of the Beacon Hill residents opened their homes to African Americans seeking freedom on their journeys North. 

3Players in front of the home of Lewis Hayden –  a meeting place for abolitionists and a station on the Underground Railroad.

The virtual event consisted of a self-guided tour of two exhibitions offered by the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket. 

The first exhibition was similar to the in-person event, except it was the virtual tour of the Black Heritage Trail. 

The second exhibition was a tour honoring the abolition movement and campaign for civil rights in Boston hosted on Google Arts & Culture.  

If you’re in the Boston area or if you want to attend virtually, we highly recommend you check it out! 

Celebrating Pride 2021

This year was 3Play’s second annual Pride celebration.

Last year, 3Play’s very own, Lanya Butler, designed pride t-shirts for fellow 3Players. 

This time around, the DEI Committee wanted to do something more interactive as a company to celebrate Pride month and to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community. 

We were honored to have two local drag artists, Just JP and Jayden Jamison, perform and share more about their experiences in drag culture. 

We started off with a fierce performance by Just JP, showcasing their sultry moves to the song “Beautiful Liar” by Beyoncé and Shakira. 

Following the performance, JP and Jayden answered questions from the 3Play team on what it’s like performing drag in-person vs. virtually, how they got started in the Boston drag scene, and the importance of representation within the drag community. 

We closed the event with a powerful and evocative performance by Jayden Jamison, who told their story of immigrating to the United States from Vietnam. 

We highly recommend you check out Just JP and Jayden Jamison and their wonderful work in the drag community! 

Inclusion Matters at 3Play

At 3Play Media, we are committed to fostering an inclusive work environment. 

We look forward to continuing honoring holidays that celebrate the diversity of our 3Players and the world. 

We currently have several job openings in our Boston office. If you are interested in making videos accessible in an inclusive environment, we highly encourage you to apply!