June Celebrations

Each month of the year, there are multiple celebrations dedicated to raising awareness and support for meaningful causes. June is an exciting month for many reasons and not just for the start of summer and end of the school year. Our June blog highlights some of the month-long and day celebrations taking place and how they connect to CCM’s impact themes and initiatives:

• Pride Month: June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. This month-long celebration demonstrates how LGBTQ Americans have strengthened our country, by using their talent and creativity to help create awareness and goodwill. The first Pride March in New York City was held on June 28, 1970, on the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. CCM is committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all of its employees. In recognition of the many June celebrations connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), we are pleased to share an update on our DEI efforts this month.
• Juneteenth: June 19 is officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, a U.S. federal holiday honoring the end of slavery in the U.S. It commemorates June 19, 1865: the day that Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and told slaves of their emancipation. In 2020, CCM launched its Minority CARES initiative, which invests in market-rate, investment-grade bonds that align with the values of social justice, improvement in the lives of those in historically marginalized communities and increased economic opportunity for people of color. We are pleased to report CCM has invested approximately $1.8 billion in the initiative on behalf of clients since it launched.
• World Ocean Day: World Ocean Day was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro as a way to celebrate our world’s shared ocean and our personal connection to the sea, as well as to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives and the important ways people can help protect it.[1] World Ocean Day takes place on June 8 with this year’s theme on conservation of marine resources for future generations. One of CCM’s impact themes is Environmental Sustainability which includes water conservation efforts and the protection of ecosystems.
• World Refugee Day: World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.[2] In 2019, we added investments benefiting immigrants and refugees to our themes of economic inclusion and human empowerment.

In recognition of the many observances taking place in June, CCM employees will be volunteering this month at Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the U.S.

[1] https://worldoceanday.org/

[2] https://www.un.org/en/observances/refugee-day