PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As a nationally recognized holiday, Juneteenth is still new — just in its second year. While some larger companies have already started cashing in on the celebration, local organizers want to make sure people remember the meaning behind the day.
There are several ways to commemorate the weekend, while also respecting the history.
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More than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Black people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they were free after more than 200 years of enslavement. That day, June 19, 1865, has become known as Juneteenth.
Nina Elizabeth "Lyrispect" Ball, director of programming and education at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, says, like many other Black families, hers began celebrating Juneteenth traditions long before the holiday was federally recognized.
“We have seen a lot of commercialization around Juneteenth, we live in a capitalist society. So whether it's Christmas, Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, Easter, people are going to look for ways to capitalize it,” Ball said.
“And I think it's our responsibility as people of color, members of the African diaspora, to take it back and say, ‘No, this is ours.’ We get to control the narrative and the core of how it's observed. We're not looking to be exploited. We're looking to celebrate our heritage.
“And I think that our history, knowing of it, and also celebrating our culture, and all the different ways we express ourselves, really can serve as armor of sorts and a re-Energizer, in a world that is constantly putting Black bodies at risk, Black joy at risk, Black families at risk.”
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However, she says, the growing popularity of Juneteenth is an opportunity for others to learn.
“My focus is consistent across the board,” Ball said. “Black people, people of the African diaspora are at the center, and others are welcome to acknowledge, celebrate and join — as long as that is at the core of what we're doing.”
The AAMP is free all day Sunday, with an outdoor block party and market, themed “Celebrating the Legacy of Emancipation,” featuring Black-owned businesses, vendors and food trucks, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ball says the AAMP’s Juneteenth block party will be a celebration of freedom and a tribute to the history behind the holiday.
“In talks with Welcome America, we requested Black and brown food trucks only. So we're going to be able to pour back into the Black and brown community in that way, and put some money back in those pockets,” Ball said. “And also in our vendor selection, we've only selected folks that identify as Black or brown businesses, or that specifically serve the Black and brown community to a positive end.”
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Debora Charmelus is also celebrating by centering Black communities and inviting others to do the same. This Saturday’s CADO: Black Art Fair & Maker's Market will connect and highlight Black businesses and artists in North Philadelphia.
Just 2.5% of businesses in Philadelphia are Black-owned, said Charmelus, who created CADO.
“It seems absurd to me,” said Charmelus, “because Black people make up the majority of the city. So I just began to think to myself: What can I do to support businesses when they're in the early stage?
“Black businesses really experience a lot of adversity that many other businesses do not experience — whether it's through policy that has purposely disenfranchised us, or truly being targeted, we can see that in history through Greenwood Street and Tulsa. It's truly just something that should be done, because we've experienced so much adversity. And any little bit of support helps us really overcome that adversity."
The CADO market will run on June 18 at 9th and Oxford streets, from noon to 6 p.m.
“The people who participate in these maker's markets don't have a brick-and-mortar store. They don't have a huge online following. There's someone who's making a high-quality product, and it's just trying to get in the face of an ideal audience base. So I began to think about that. And to me, this market is kind of the first step in providing support for that group and those communities.”
