PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — One of the nation’s largest Juneteenth celebrations brought thousands together in West Philadelphia for a parade and festival. The parade, featuring about 2 dozen floats, with Mayor Cherelle Parker serving as grand marshal, preceded a community festival in Malcolm X Park.
The official holiday is on Wednesday, but Sunday’s community gathering featured more than 250 local vendors, makers and artists offering food, crafts, clothes, games and live music, in celebration of the day in history when all Americans could be counted as free
Juneteenth commemorates the day the Emancipation Proclamation was finally implemented to all formerly enslaved Americans, June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed it.
It’s a solemn origin, but Simone Washington of Willow Grove sees the holiday as an outpouring of joy.
“A lot of times we just associate Blackness with slavery as trauma, but I think today really gives us an opportunity to celebrate ourselves,” Washington said.
“To me, it’s really about liberation. It’s about celebrating Black history. It’s about celebrating Black people and our culture and our music and our food. I think it’s really an incredible opportunity to just celebrate all Blackness and what that encompasses.”
Washington says it’s also important to honor everything Black culture encompasses:
“I see all shades of Blackness. I think that it’s very multifaceted. I think that it’s very versatile and I think that there’s all walks of life here.”
Aamir G. of Logan reveled in the unity of his community — “just to get out here and show the support for the people, just to support Black businesses, is something that I love to do, because I love my people.”
For volunteer Zonta Laney of Fishtown, Juneteenth is a powerful holiday.
“I consider this therapeutic. So it’s the therapy of celebration and unity of today.”
Philadelphia’s first Juneteenth parade was in 2016. Former Gov. Tom Wolf declared it a state holiday in 2019, two years before it became a federal holiday.