PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thousands of people gathered in West Philadelphia on Sunday to celebrate Juneteenth, the oldest celebration that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
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“The reason that I’m here at the Juneteenth program is because this is so important and integral to our history,” said Cherron Perry-Thomas, who joined the thousands at the parade and festival at Malcolm X Park.
Perry-Thomas’s Plant & People is a Black-owned nursery nearby. She says her message goes hand in hand with what the holiday is all about: “We cultivate plants, and we want to make sure that people understand the importance of growing.”
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect — when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that the last enslaved people in the country were now free.
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“For many of us, we are still in that same situation — if it’s around health disparities, housing disparities, education disparities,” Perry Thomas said. “If you don’t know, it’s just hard to obtain that information — and so, for those of us who know, it’s just important for us to go back and pass that information down.”
The annual Juneteenth celebration features a parade, musical performances, food, artisans, and community nonprofits.
Andrew Nichols had examples of his paintings on display in the park.
“Now that it’s a national holiday, I figured, let me come down where the most love is given, where it’s most respected, and where it’s most deserved, in Philly,” Nichols said. “So I figured, I bring my talent here and share with the community.”
Nichols says his paintings show how far Black people in America have come since the original Juneteenth.
“It just depicts African American, Black man, Black woman history,” Nichols said. “I touch into sports, hip hop jazz, couples, religion. I try to tap into a lot of different categories in terms of where we need powerful images put on our walls to depict who we are as a people.”
Legislation recognizing Juneteenth at a state holiday in Pennsylvania was signed into law by former Gov. Tom Wolf back in 2019.
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