PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hundreds of people celebrated Juneteenth at a block party next to the African-American Museum of Philadelphia. The annual kick-off to Philadelphia's 16-day Welcome America festival was bigger than ever.
Mayor Jim Kenney was feeling pleased as he toured the parking lot behind the museum, which had been converted into a festival ground.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is that I signed the executive order to make Juneteenth a city holiday,” he said. That was in 2020, a year before President Joe Biden’s signature made the day a federal holiday.
“It reminds us of how far we’ve come and how far we have to go to have equality for everybody,” Kenney said.
The party, though, was all about having fun.
Free admission to the museum at 7th and Arch streets drew an overflow crowd, and there was plenty for people to do while they waited — performances, games, vendors and a lot of food. And there were plenty of free beverages to help everyone stay hydrated on a sunny, beautiful and very warm Monday.
“I was drinking a mango smoothie,” said Chris, who was there with his family. “It was really good. This party is really good. I love it so much.”
Young Hakim Clark was a little fuzzy on the details of Juneteenth. On this day in 1865, the last group of enslaved Africans, still held in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation two years prior. But he was happy to be there.
“I think this is pretty cool. A lot of fun things are happening. Most of the stuff are free. It’s just cool here. I like it,” he said.
Lanice Miller, representing the NAACP, said she was thrilled to see so many children out and enjoying the day. She said it’s important for kids to know about the history of this day.
“We never learned this in school. This is a new era,” Miller said. “We didn’t have all this coming up. We didn’t learn this in school. We didn’t have events like this. This is a whole, complete, different thing.”
Nicole Allen-White, Welcome America’s chief operating officer, says it’s important to make the connection between Juneteenth and Independence Day.
“We’re really proud to have that relationship with the African American Museum to host this block party,” Allen-White said.
The Juneteenth block party is the official kick-off for Philadelphia’s Welcome America season. It is the first of at least 60 events happening between June 19 and July 4.
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