The Juneteenth Festival is not unique to Buffalo, any more than it is to African Americans. The fifth largest Juneteenth celebration nationwide, Buffalo’s chapter celebrates emancipation of African Americans and others from slavery, but more importantly it signifies freedom for all people, as set forth in the of the Declaration of Independence that is celebrated every Fourth of July.
Juneteenth, however, celebrates June 19, 1865, the day Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army rode into Galveston, Texas in final execution of the Emancipation Proclamation. It is the oldest known observance of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Marcus Brown President of the Board of Directors of Juneteenth, Inc., says, “It took a whole rainbow of people to make freedom happen, and Juneteenth is an opportunity to celebrate that together as a community.”
Brown points out that many people suffered oppression and prejudice, and says that it’s important to him to educate all people, especially young people, who may not understand the worth of their present because they’re unaware of the trials of the past. Therefore, the Buffalo Juneteenth Festival has made a point of bringing many historical and cultural elements in as learning tools to go along with the festivities.
“This is a celebration of what America is,” Brown said. “We’re still striving for democracy, and this is as close as we’ve ever been. Look at this year’s [presidential] election. A woman and a black man running, and all of America having a chance to voice their opinion.”
This year, Brown says the committee decided that one way to get the word out about this 33-year old event was to print the back of the souvenir T-shirts with information about the origins of Juneteenth. “Not everyone was able to celebrate freedom on July 4th of 1776,” Brown says of this celebration of equality.
“Let’s not forget,” Brown said, “Black men were allowed to vote before white women. And the freedom to vote can change a person’s life in many ways—health, economy, education.” Brown laughs, “We ain’t done yet. And we’re all in the same boat.”
Along with music, food and fun, expect some serious history lessons at Juneteenth. “We reenact a slave auction—I’ve studied and learned all of the trials and tribulations African Americans went through. I’ve been to the places where it happened, and I can tell you there are spirits in that history.”
Brown continues, “You know what probably bothers me most, is that I don’t know how young people will tolerate it. I had a boy of about 15 come to me not too long ago—crying—someone told him about the Holocaust. I’m not making a comparison between that and slavery, but it made me realize that we have a lot of work to do in educating people. We need to educate all people.”
Held July 8 – 15 in Martin Luther King Jr. Park at the intersection of Best Street and Fillmore Avenue, Juneteenth’s mission is to present educational and cultural activities that will benefit the community as a whole, while creating an understanding of African American heritage.
In addition to Juneteenth, Sankofa Days, from June 7 to June 13, will precede the festival in MLK Park with 7 days of events leading up to the festival. The Sankofa is a bird of West African mythology that flies forward while looking backward. It carries an egg in its mouth, symbolizing the future. With this in mind, Sankofa days are a way of looking to history to benefit the future.
“The Sankofa activities are a compilation of physical art, lectures, poetry, film, talent and cultural events. They’re offered after school hours to encourage families to attend,” according to Ras Jomo Coordinator of Sankofa Days. “Everyone is invited, with the exception of the adults-only social on June 7 at 9PM.”
This open invitation is one that is repeated over and over, as organizers of the events work to inform the community at large. Jomo goes on to say that it’s essential for children, in order to instill values, educate, and give them a “fixed” place in the community, one with pride and identity. “Most of these things have to be learned through the community,” Jomo said. “We really want everyone to be there.”
For a full schedule of Juneteenth and Sankofa Day activities, visit www.juneteenthofbuffalo.com.
Photo by Ken Barney of kennethbarney.com