Juneteenth (June 19th) marks the day that the last enslaved people of African descent were set free in America. President Abraham Lincoln signed The Emancipation Proclamation, also known as the Abolishment of Slavery, on January 1, 1863. However, this news traveled slowly to Galveston,Texas as well as slaveholders who neglected to abide by the law, enslaved people in Texas did not know that their freedom was at hand. It was not until June 19,1865 that Union Soldiers (led by Major-General Granger) informed the people of Texas that all slaves were free.
Although Black communities across the country celebrated Juneteenth amongst each other, Texas was fighting for this day to be recognized as a holiday. The Texas House Bill 1016 was passed and declared June 19th, “Emancipation Day in Texas,” as a state holiday, effective in 1980. The state of Texas continued the fight for decades for Juneteenth to be recognized as a national holiday. Following the unrest and uprising of the modern civil rights movement after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and numerous others; President Biden signed a bill declaring Juneteenth as a federal holiday, on Thursday, June 17, 2021.
Juneteenth holds a special place in the history of Milwaukee. In 1972, Margaret Henningsen of the Northcott Neighborhood House, a multi purpose community center in the Harambee neighborhood, hosted the city’s first Juneteenth celebration in honor and commemoration of the emancipation of slaves. Since then, Milwaukee has been home to one of the largest and longest Juneteenth celebrations in the country. Each year, the Northcott Neighborhood House creates a theme and this year’s theme was “Juneteenth – A Celebration of Love, Life and Freedom.” The celebration takes place every year on June 19th, no matter the day of the week nor the weather.
For this year’s celebration, the festivities were kicked off with a parade at 9 a.m., highlighting local dance teams, marching bands, news stations, community centers, churches, and a diverse range of floats. The parade began on 14th Street and West Atkinson Avenue, traveled for about a mile-and-a-half and ended at West Locust Street and North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The parade smoothly transitioned to the welcoming of 450 vendors featuring cuisine, live art making, pony rides for children, live musical performances, and community outreach. Local politicians, such as Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs of District 6, were in attendance as well.
The street festival ended at 4 p.m. as it does every year. However, the celebration moved to the Summerfest grounds as this year was the introduction to a special partnership between Northcott Neighborhood House and Summerfest. At 6 p.m., Summerfest held a celebration of the Juneteenth youth court and welcomed musical guests such as the Isley Brothers with Eric Benet, Ginuwine and Fabolous. Summerfest tickets were priced at $19 in honor of Juneteenth Day. The people of the community have forged another memorable Juneteenth celebration that was, and always will be, rooted in the honor of the freedom of African Americans.
