Major League Soccer is celebrating Juneteenth with specially designed jerseys worn by players and available to fans after the games. 

Juneteenth is the date commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans in the United States. All of the programs are a collaboration between MLS, the league’s 28 clubs, and Black Players for Change (BPC) – an independent organization of Black MLS players, coaches, and staff working to bridge the racial equality gap in soccer and society.

The players will be wearing jerseys featuring Juneteenth-inspired numbers designed by Tiffany Judah Middleton, a Black queer artist. She created the numbers in a vibrant yellow, green, and red color palette, to represent the blood, soil and prosperity of Africa and its people.

Presented in commemorative boxes, the jerseys will be available via an online auction to benefit organizations that support Black communities.

Major League Soccer will make a donation to 100 Black Men of America and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women – organizations the League partnered with in 2020 promoting mentorship, leadership development, and gender equity.

MLS clubs also will activate through various initiatives in their home markets to recognize Juneteenth. For example, Nashville SC are partnering with the National Museum of African American Music to curate music and entertainment, and will honor local African American leaders, military members, and community stakeholders through its Section 615, Hero of the Match and Military Salute Activations.

MLS, BPC, and Pitch Black -- the League’s employee resource group for Black employees -- have also joined forces on programs and initiatives to make meaningful change both inside and outside of MLS. Additional details will be available on MLSsoccer.com.

In November 2021, MLS unveiled a series of updates and enhancements to its Diversity Hiring Policy for sporting positions with the clubs.

In March, MLS announced that it would leverage a $25 million loan from a syndicate of Black banks, marking the first time any sports league has participated in a major commercial transaction exclusively with Black banks. The partnership was facilitated by the nonprofit National Black Bank Foundation.