Oprah Is Making Election Day a Company Holiday For OWN Employees
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) announced that all employees will receive a paid day off for Election Day this November 3.
In a video released on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, Oprah said this was "just one small step we all can take to create change."
OWN joins a growing list of companies like Twitter, Patagonia, Coca-Cola, and more that are offering paid time off on Election Day.
Election Day is less than three months away, and Oprah is taking it very seriously. On the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) announced that November 3rd will be a company holiday so that all employees can vote or volunteer.
"100 years. That's how long it's been since women were granted the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th amendment," Oprah said in a video posted to her Instagram. "And while we honor this historic milestone, we also have to acknowledge that the right was not afforded to Black women."
She added: "We also have to acknowledge that the fight continues to this day. Because there are still so many obstacles that African American women and all Americans have to overcome just to exercise our very right to vote."
As Oprah spoke, a video montage showed clips of Black women including America's first Black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and the new vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris. "Today in honor of the women who came before us, I'm announcing that November 3 will be a company holiday at OWN so that everybody can vote and volunteer," said Oprah. "It is just one small step we all can take to create change, to demonstrate that Black lives matter, to ensure that America can and will be a more perfect union. So let's get to it."
In addition to giving all OWN employees the day off, she also challenged other companies to do the same. "This might be the most important election of our lives," Oprah wrote on Instagram. "Together we can overcome all obstacles in order to exercise our right to vote."
"We encourage you to not only spend the day casting your ballot, but to consider volunteering your time to support a fair and democratic election process," read a note sent to OWN employees, suggesting various ways to stay engaged, including becoming a poll worker, supporting election protection efforts, as well as signing up to encourage voter turnout.
Recently, OWN has been stepping up efforts around voting. The network announced its first voting initiative called "OWN YOUR VOTE"—described on it's website as a bipartisan "campaign of actions and events for and with Black women, connecting them to urgent political actions, giving their concerns a powerful microphone, and placing a spotlight on key community issues."
Oprah has previously used her voice and her platform to turn out the vote in the 2018 midterm elections. She traveled to Georgia to go door-to-door canvassing on behalf of then-gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. She noted on Instagram at the time that "the antidote to hate" is to "vote your love."
Although Oprah hasn't endorsed anyone in the 2020 election yet, it's clear she's serious about stepping up efforts to encourage everyone to vote.
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