PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Celebrations for Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, will be held in Malcolm X Park on Sunday. The organization Everybody Eats Philly will again be cooking and giving away plenty of food for the party.
Five Philly chefs founded the group at the beginning of the pandemic in an effort to fight for social justice and tackle food insecurity in the city.
Their first food distribution was a Juneteenth barbecue. This weekend is the group’s second birthday and third Juneteenth celebration with the community.
“Juneteenth is the Black Fourth of July, and it’s us paying homage to our ancestors,” said founding chef Stephanie Willis.
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The day only became a federal holiday last year.
“We’ve had our hands literally building this country, and we are just getting recognized,” Willis noted.
As a chef, she felt compelled to nurture her community following the social unrest that erupted in cities nationwide after the murder of George Floyd.
“And it’s still a long fight,” she said. “There’s still things that are not OK … but we can only choose to keep going and try to spread joy while we’re doing it.”
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Sunday’s barbecue will be accompanied by a produce market, provided by Giordano Garden Groceries.
“They’ll be able to pick from a variety of pantry staples,” said Willis, “potatoes, carrots, onions, lots of fresh fruit.”
Click here for more event information.